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THE HORSE 




THE AUTHOR 



THE HORSE 



WILLIAM S.^EVIS, Jr. 



Privately Printed 

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA 

December, 1922 



S F 309 

•T4 



Copyright 1922 
By William S. Tevis, Jr. 



MAY 2 2 '23 



C1A704934 



To 

MY FRIEND 

Whose interest and help made 

possible this little book 



CONTENTS 



Page 
Introduction 9 

CHAPTER I. 

How to approach a horse — Bridling — Saddling — Mounting 

— Dismounting — An episode near Lake Tahoe 11 

CHAPTER II. 

Balance — How to keep it — Experience with bucking horses 
— Correct length of stirrup — Grip — How it counteracts 
inertia — European cavalry man's experiment — Seat — 
What it means in the saddle — "The End of the Trail." 19 

CHAPTER III. 

How the rider controls his horse — Bits, and how they work 
— The Martingale — Spurs — Whips — Balance — How to 
start and stop a horse — How to make a horse slide — 
Backing a horse — Changing direction — Changing leads 
at a gallop — Teaching the horse to trot and to walk 
— Riding without reins 26 

CHAPTER IV. 

Reining a horse — Use of different bits — How his mouth is 
made — The natural gaits — The walk, the trot and the 
canter — Natural gaits more useful than acquired gaits 
— Popularity of five-'^aited horses for show purposes — 
Jumping and swimming 34 

CHAPTER V. 

Riding up and down hill or on a pavement — The right and 
wrong ways of doing so — Xenophon's comments about 
ancient hill riders — Opening a gate when on horseback 
— Talking to horses — Efficacy of a well-spoken word — 
The art of falling off — How best to escape injury — A 
midnight runaway and a drop in the darkness 42 

CHAPTER VI. 

Racing and race horses — Early training — Reasons for the 
light bit and the short stirrup — Use and misuse of the 
whip in racing — Horse show ethics — Looks are every- 
thing — Satisfy the judge — Importance of etiquette — 
Polo ponies — They just happen and are not bred — 
Difficulty of finding them — Amenities of the polo pony 
trade — What constitutes a perfect polo pony,.; 50 



CHAPTER VII. 

Page 
Habits of the horse, natural and acquired — Getting up and 
Lying down — Balking — A useful method of treating it 
— Rolling — How to prevent it — Pawing — Rearing — 
Striking — Kicking — Biting — Cinch Binding — Shying — 
How to make a shying horse go past the object of his 
terror — Stumbling — Falling — Prancing — Plunging — 
Crow-hopping — Bucking, buck jumpers and how to 
ride them — Some general remarks about equine idio 
syncrasies 

CHAPTER VIII. 



56 



Running away — A dangerous habit and difficult to cure — 

Story of an incorrigible runaway and his fate 69 

CHAPTER IX. 

Breaking a colt to the saddle — A short method of taming 
and training — How the colt is taught to tolerate hand- 
ling — How he is saddled and cinched the first time — 
How he is ridden 75 

CHAPTER X. 

Buying a saddle horse — Age shown by the teeth — How to 
detect poor vision and other defects — Splints, ringbone, 
spavin — Sore backs, what they indicate — Shoulder 
lameness and navicular disease — Laminitis or founder 
— Testing a horse for wind — How to recognize a wind- 
sucker or crib-biter 86 

CHAPTER XI. 

Teaching children to ride — Cannot begin too young — An 
old plug better than a pony — Experience the best 
riding master — Psychology of the horse — He has not 
the power of deduction — Trick horses — How they are 
made to appear to have reasoning faculties — They 
only obey commands 92 



INTRODUCTION 



The horse in its prehistoric species was indigenous 
to the five great continents. In America the rock 
formations, antedating the glacial period, give us an 
approximate idea of the animal in its early stages 
of development. With the glacial period, the species 
became extinct in America. Not until the sixteenth 
century did the horse again make its appearance on 
the Western Continent, and then only in its domes- 
ticated form, with the advent of the Conquistadors 
and gold-seekers from the Old World. 

Indian massacres and other disasters to various 
mounted expeditions sent out by the invaders re- 
sulted in many of the horses brought across the 
seas by the Europeans coming into the possession 
of the Indians. Others, escaping the pursuit of the 
sometimes victorious aborigine, ran wild and mul- 
tiplied in the fertile valleys of Mexico and in that 
portion of America which is now the southwestern 
part of the United States. 

At the present time, several States in the western 
part of America gave forage to the untamed horses 
that have flourished in those localities since their 
ancestors sought refuge there in the turbulent pio- 
neer days. 

Science encroaching upon nature has reduced to 
a mechanical basis nearly all lines of human en- 
deavor, but the horse can never be entirely replaced 
by a machine. The horse can carry a man over 
many places where it would be impossible for a 
machine to go, and in many places where machines 
can be operated the horse is used for economy. 

The horse, being a living thing, embodies a kind 
of perpetual motion, of which no mechanical pro- 
duction is susceptible. 

9 



Range riding, mountain trails, cavalry, horse ar- 
tillery, hunting to hounds, and polo belong to the 
horse alone, and it is reasonable to suppose that in 
the future, as in the past, the horse will hold his 
place as the animal most useful to man. 

In the following pages it is sought to give the 
reader some practical information and advice about 
the saddle horse, where he comes from, how to ride 
him, his habits and idiosyncrasies, how to handle 
him for such various purposes as racing, polo, and 
the horse show, how to break him in for use as a 
saddle horse, and many other matters of analogous 
import. 

The chapters devoted to the actual technique of 
riding are intended, principally and necessarily, for 
the instruction of persons not already proficient in 
horsemanship. They point out the right way of 
doing most things that are customarily associated 
with equitation, from first approaching a horse to 
falling off its back. 

Therefore it is hoped that, as well as being of 
some interest to the seasoned horseman, the book 
may prove of some primary and instructive value to 
the amateur. 



10 



THE HORSE 



CHAPTER I. 

How to approach a horse — Bridling — Saddling — Mounting — 
Dismounting — An episode near Lake Taboe. 

Approaching. — The safest way to approach 
any horse is to do so from a point off his near 
shoulder, with the hand extending toward the 
animal's neck. It is advisable always to make 
a horse aware of one's presence before he is 
touched. The near side of the horse has been 
used since the time of Simo, said to be the 
earliest writer upon horsemanship, for nearly 
all purposes such as approaching, mounting 
and dismounting. The physical character of 
horse and man make easier a friendship that 
is begun on this side. To handle a horse on 
the off side would be as unsatisfactory to the 
average horseman as trying to eat with the 
left hand would be to most people. 

When a vicious horse is approached, it is 
possible for him to cow-kick, strike or bite, 
and the part of the shoulder one should ap- 
proach is that point which is most difficult for 
the animal to reach with fore feet and hind 
feet, so that there will be some uncertainty in 
the horse's mind which weapon he may best 
use. While he is reflecting in this manner, 
the shoulder can, perhaps, be stroked. 

11 



THE-:- HORSE 

Xenophon's "Treatise on Horsemanship," 
written in the fourth century, B. C, empha- 
sizes this essential in approaching a horse: 

"But whoever is employed about a horse, 
ought to know that to do these things, and 
everything else that he has to do, he must 
come as little as possible near the face and the 
tail ; for if a horse is inclined to be vicious, he 
has in both these parts the advantage of the 
man. But a person who approaches him at 
the side can manage the horse with least dan- 
ger to himself, and with the most power over 
the beast." 

Bridling. — Hold the whole bit with the left 
hand directly under and within a foot of the 
horse's lower jaw. Take the reins in the right 
hand, slip them over the head, letting the 
buckle joining the reins together rest on the 
neck immediately behind the ears, then pull 
the reins with the right hand tight around the 
neck, and hold them together with the right 
hand resting directly under the horse's jaw. 
The purpose of doing this is to facilitate brid- 
ling, in as much as the horse's head may be 
pulled toward the one who bridles by the reins. 
Move the bit upward toward the right hand, 
so that the fingers of the right hand may sup- 
port it for a moment, while the left hand re- 
leases the bit and grasps the headstall at its 
uppermost point, which is the middle of the 
band behind the ears. Then, releasing the bit 

12 



THE-:- HORSE 

with the fingers of the right hand, let it hang 
suspended from the headpiece, while the left 
hand carries the whole bridle forward to a 
point directly in front of the horse's head. 

Now bring the left hand toward the horse's 
head until it touches the upper part of the 
nose in such a way that either side of the 
cheekpieces hang on their respective sides of 
the horse's face. Now the right hand may be 
released from the reins and it should be 
brought quickly to change places with the 
left hand holding the headpiece. The left hand 
simultaneously is dropped so that it grasps the 
left side of the bit above the mouth-bar, with 
the forefinger protruding in such a way as to 
hold the curb chain extended. 

The horse's head is now halfway into the 
bridle, and the movement of the head may be 
more or less directed by the pressure of the 
cheek straps. When the horse's head is sta- 
tionary, the bridler quickly raises the bit for- 
ward and directs the middle of the mouth-bar 
toward the center point between the animal's 
teeth; meanwhile, with the fingers of the left 
hand, he pries open the jaws of the animal. 
This is done by exerting pressure upward and 
downward at a point on the near side of the 
animal's mouth to the right of his incisor teeth. 
The pressure of the left hand on the side of 
the bit is now directed in such a way as to 
bring the bit into the horse's mouth; mean- 
is 



THE-:- HORSE 

while the right hand takes up the slack of the 
cheekstraps, and at the same time pulls the 
headpiece over the ears of the horse. The left 
hand may then release the bit, and pull the 
browband to its proper position directly in 
front and below the ears of the now nearly 
bridled horse. 

To complete the operation, reach under the 
neck with the left hand and take the buckle of 
the neckstrap, which should be hanging on 
the right side of the horse's head ; pull it under 
the animal's neck and, with the right hand, 
pull the near side of the neckstrap through 
the buckle and its proper keeper. 

Saddling. — Place the saddle blanket well 
forward on the animal's withers, and then pull 
it a few inches back. This insures the hair lying 
smooth underneath and helps to prevent sore 
backs. Take the pommel of the saddle with 
the right hand, holding the left stirrup and 
the cinchstrap in the left hand, and swing the 
saddle upward toward the withers of the 
horse with sufficient force to make the right 
stirrup and the complete cinch swing clear 
over the horse's back. Then, releasing the 
saddle with the left hand, put this hand under 
the saddle blanket immediately above the 
horse's withers, and pull the blanket upward 
toward the fork, so that the part of the saddle 
blanket immediately under the fork will not 
touch the horse. 

14 



THE-:- HORSE 

Continuing to hold the saddle and saddle 
blanket in this way, move them forward to- 
ward the horse's neck, and then with the 
right hand taking the cantle-flap and saddle 
blanket immediately under it, pull the blanket 
and saddle toward the tail of the horse until 
the proper place is reached on the horse's back. 
This leaves the saddle sitting with its fore- 
part over the animal's withers. 

Cinch the horse carefully, being sure that 
the cinch and strap are not turned, and pull 
the cinch tight enough so that the saddle can- 
not be moved easily to either side. A very 
loose cinch is likely to chafe the horse's girth, 
and a very tight cinch may cause a swelling 
and probably impede his action. 

Mounting. — To mount, stand facing the 
horse at a point about a foot away and oppo- 
site his near shoulder. Take the reins in the 
left hand so that the length of the right and 
left reins, respectively, are the same from the 
bit to the hand. Place the hand, holding the 
reins, on the neck of the horse, immediately 
above the withers, and draw the lines through 
the fingers so that a slight feel of the horse's 
mouth may be maintained. Take the left 
stirrup in the right hand and pull it forward 
until it almost touches the horse's foreleg. The 
rider should partially turn his left shoulder 
toward the horse and place the toe of his left 
boot into the stirrup, then releasing the stirrup 

15 



THE-:- HORSE 

with his right hand he should move this hand 
over the middle of the saddle and take a firm 
grasp of any protruding leather on the saddle's 
right side, or the pommel itself if the saddle is 
Mexican. Now put the weight of the body 
into the left stirrup, keep the toe of the right 
boot on the ground until a balance is arrived 
at, then springing from the ground with the 
right foot, swing it clear of the back and cantle, 
straightening the left leg until the rider's 
weight is placed evenly in the middle of the 
saddle ; put the right foot through its stirrup, 
release the right hand, and the horse is 
mounted. 

Dismounting. — To dismount, lean forward 
in the saddle and place the palm of the left 
hand on the animal's neck above the withers, 
at the same time holding the reins with this 
hand so that a slight feel of the horse's mouth 
is maintained. 

In this position the thumb of the left hand 
should be pointed toward the saddle and the 
fingers pressing the reins against the animal's 
neck. The rider should now take a firm grasp 
of any protruding leather on the right side of 
the saddle near its center, or the pommel itself 
if the saddle is Mexican, and loosening the 
right foot in the stirrup, swing the right leg 
backward and over the cantle to the near side, 
meanwhile allowing the toe of the left foot to 
pivot so that it points toward the horse's 

16 



THE-:- HORSE 

girth. Then place the right foot on the ground 
about one foot from the horse's near shoulder, 
release the left foot from its stirrup and bring 
it also to the ground, so that a standing posi- 
tion is assumed facing the animal's near shoul- 
der, as in mounting. 

On a vicious horse that is likely to kick, the 
rider can, by giving a jump from his left foot, 
just before the right foot reaches the ground, 
throw himself several feet from the horse, and, 
incidentally, out of reach of his legs. 

Near Lake Tahoe, California, I saw one day 
a cowboy mounted upon a notoriously vicious 
horse. An Indian was standing by who wore 
very long spurs. The cowboy dismounted and 
requested that he be allowed to borrow these 
enormous rowels. He then remounted his 
animal, and, in order to see how these spurs 
worked, he tickled his mount in the ribs with 
them. Thereupon the animal, with ai wild 
scream, leapt into the air and did some sky- 
scraping bucks. 

The cowboy, being ill-advised, was taken by 
surprise, and having slightly lost his seat from 
the first leap into the air, seemed unable to 
regain it. With his right hand he seized the 
lariat rope, which was firmly attached to the 
off side of the saddle, and was suddenly 
thrown toward the ground off the near side of 
the now thoroughly enraged animal. His right 
spur caught the back of the cantle, and by 

17 



THE-:- HORSE 

still grasping the lariat rope he succeeded in 
keeping his head a foot or two off the ground. 

His head by this time was at the point 
which, in another chapter, we have discussed as 
being the most efficacious place to approach a 
horse. The animal, surprised at being grap- 
pled in this manner, suddenly ceased his gyra- 
tions and stood for a moment perfectly still. 
The rider hung motionless. Any effort he 
might make to regain the saddle would cer- 
tainly fail and mean certain injury, because at 
the man's first movement, the horse, whose 
eyes were now red, would give him a terrible 
fall with bucks and kicks, which from his posi- 
tion he would be powerless to avoid. There- 
fore, as he explained to me afterwards, the 
rider decided to dismount. So, suddenly, he 
let himself drop and rolled out of the line of 
danger a mere fraction of a second before the 
horse struck out wildly with his legs and, kick- 
ing and bucking, disappeared into the neigh- 
boring pine trees. 

Some argument then arose between the in- 
terested spectators as to whether the episode 
they had just been regarding should be de- 
scribed as a man dismounting from or a man 
falling off his horse. The cowboy sought to 
dispel all doubt on this issue by maintaining, 
with typical profanity, that he merely figured 
it desirable to dismount. Personally, I think 
the cowboy was right, only I would call it dis- 
mounting under pressure. 

18 



T H E -:- H O R 



CHAPTER II. 

Balance — How to keep it — Experience with backing horses — 
Correct length of stirrup — Grip — How it counteracts inertia — 
European cavalry man's experiment — Seat — What it means in 
the saddle— "The End of the Trail." 

Balance depends upon the proper adjust- 
ment of weight, and is arrived at by the em- 
ployment of stirrups, seat and hands. The 
reins should never be used as an aid to balance. 
If they are used for this purpose it is an evi- 
dence of very bad horsemanship. Unfortu- 
nately, this evidence is not rare. 

The reins being attached to the bit, if pres- 
sure is brought upon them, for any purpose 
other than guiding or steadying one's mount, 
it naturally has a disorganizing and confusing 
effect upon the horse; also, frequent pressure 
in this way has a tendency to make the ani- 
maFs mouth less sensitive, and upsets the gen- 
eral well-being of the horse when in use. 

From a standing position, if the horse jumps 
forward, balance is best achieved by leaning 
the weight forward at the moment of move- 
ment, with the legs forcing the stirrups in the 
general direction of the horse's tail, and at 
this moment by pressure in the stirrups the 
rider's body is held forward on the horse's 
back. This counteracts the tendency of the 
rder to become unseated by the horse jumping 
forward from under him. 

19 



THE-:- HORSE 

If a fast-moving horse stops suddenly, bal- 
ance is best maintained by either a knee grip, 
with the stirrups held slightly backward by the 
legs and the weight thrown forward, or by the 
rider's body being held well backward on the 
back of the horse and the stirrups held forward 
by the legs, at the same time receiving the 
pressure of the rider's weight which would 
necessarily prevent his body coming forward 
when the horse stops. 

In lateral balance, if the rider's weight is 
overbalanced to the near side of the horse, pres- 
sure is put against the left stirrup, which has 
a tendency to push the rider's body toward the 
point of balance, and the pressure of the right 
leg, which is in a forked position with the knee 
as apex, is brought to bear upon the off side of 
the horse's body, which has the tendency to 
pull the rider back in place, in which way his 
balance is maintained. Losing his balance to- 
ward the right side, it would naturally follow 
that the above principles would apply, merely 
substituting right for left. 

In difficult or unexpected moments, an aid 
to balance may be had by placing pressure 
against the horse's neck with the hand or 
hands. 

Rough riding on a ranch is one of the quick- 
est ways of learning balance. The discomfort 
occasioned by falling from a half-broken mus- 
tang is a big incentive to the rider to let his 

20 



THE -> HORSE 

thoughts dwell on the best way of maintaining 
equilibrium. In this case proper length of 
stirrups plays an important part. The practice 
of using very short stirrups is indicative of 
the rider depending more upon balance than 
upon grip, or, in other words, allowing a 
greater scope for the employment of balance, 
since, by the judicious use of short stirrups 
the rider may lean farther from the horse and 
maintain his balance. 

It is true, however, that most expert horse- 
men ride more by grip than balance. 

At the beginning of my riding experience 
on a ranch I started to use very long stirrups, 
so that when seated in the saddle my legs were 
nearly straight, with but the toes of my boots 
touching the stirrups. The first bucking horse 
I mounted threw me with great rapidity over 
his head. I realized, when thinking over the 
matter, that I had lost my stirrups first and 
my balance shortly afterwards, so I took up 
the stirrups of the saddle one hole before rid- 
ing the next bucking horse. I was once more, 
without delay, precipitated over the animal's 
head. Again I noticed that I had lost my stir- 
rups immediately. 

After about eight of these unpleasant experi- 
ences my stirrups were considerably shorter 
than at the outset. Subsequently, though I was 
sometimes bucked over the head of a particu- 
larly rough-going horse, I invariably lost my 

21 



THE-:- HORSE 

seat before my stirrups, which proved that I 
had finally succeeded in bringing the stirrups 
to the proper length, at least for my individual 
requirements. This is not a pleasant method 
to be followed in order to determine what the 
length of one's stirrups should be, since most 
persons of less optimism would become dis- 
couraged before they found the proper length. 

The correct length of the stirrups for any 
rider, in real action, is that length which would 
permit his boots to rest in the stirrups with 
average pressure if his legs were bent to the 
natural position that would be assumed by 
that rider in clinging to a fast-turning horse 
bareback. 

When at rest or at the steady paces of a 
horse, a longer stirrup is usually found more 
comfortable, and with a longer stirrup the 
rider unquestionably makes a better appear- 
ance. 

Grip. — Broadly speaking, grip is a pulling 
force which, when applied by a rider, assists 
in keeping him and the saddle together. Tak- 
ing hurdles or riding a fractious horse requires 
particularly the application of grip. The chief 
factors in its application are the heel, leg, knee 
and thigh. If the horse catapults from the 
ground, whether to clear some obstacle or 
owing to the exuberance of spirits, it is neces- 
sary for the rider to cease the upward move- 
ment simultaneously with the horse and to 

22 



THE-:- HORSE 

descend firmly seated upon his back in order 
to avoid receiving a very unpleasant jolt in a 
sitting position. 

When the horse has reached in the air that 
theoretically stationary moment before his re- 
turn to earth, grip is most necessary to the 
rider. The force that has carried the rider 
upward, suddenly is taken away, and the ten- 
dency of the rider would be to continue up- 
ward until gravity counteracts inertia. Grip 
applied at this moment, with sufficient force, 
has the desired result and makes possible a 
uniform return with the horse to the ground. 

The kind of grip most effective, needless to 
say, depends entirely upon the physical attrib- 
utes of the rider. 

A foreign cavalry man paid me a visit once 
at Stockdale Ranch. He examined the Mexi- 
can saddles with interest, having never pre- 
viously seen equipment of this kind, and was 
particularly pleased with the horn. He ven- 
tured the opinion that by the judicious use of 
this instrument for a handhold he could not be 
thrown off. 

A horse was led out, which was able, with 
provocation, to buck. I made a noose with my 
riata around the animal's flanks, and the 
officer, having seated himself upon the animal, 
firmly grasped the horn with both hands, with- 
out troubling himself about the reins. On be- 
ing informed all was in order, I pulled the rope 

23 



THE-:- HORSE 

and the horse leapt into the air with one 
terrific buck. The soldier held firmly to the 
horn of the saddle, but the rest of his body 
continued upward until he had assumed the 
position of standing on his head above the 
horn of the saddle. As the horse rose from 
the ground a second time the officer's body 
toppled and meeting the neck of the horse 
with his own back, his hands were pried loose 
and he was left in a heap on the ground ; which 
helps to prove that grip, no matter how firmly 
taken, can be an entirely minus quantity un- 
less it is had in conjunction with a proper 
balance 

Seat. — A seat, when spoken of in regard to 
a mounted person, is an expression of a rather 
intangible character. A good seat, however, 
is a matter of fundamental importance in 
horsemanship. To a rider, a seat kept or lost 
is as important as a battle won or lost to 
a general. 

Innumerable positions can be assumed upon 
the back of a horse, but these positions all de- 
pend upon the correct appliance of the prin- 
ciples of balance and grip, founded upon an in- 
telligent knowledge and anticipation of the 
movements of a horse. 

A seat when partially lost is difficult to re- 
gain. It is easier to keep a perfect seat all the 
time than to lose one's balance and regain it 
later. The personal equation enters largely 

24 



THE-:- HORSE 

into the correct seat of an individual, and the 
rider's individuaUty is more strongly demon- 
strated by the seat than in any other way. 

The average natural seat is depicted in a 
marvelous manner by the silhouettes of the 
famous warriors of the Horse Indians, such as 
Sioux and Comanche, which have been given 
to us by observation or by the paintings of 
Remington and his contemporaries. 

A statue by James Earle Fraser, "The End 
of the Trail," depicts an Amerind, the last of 
his tribe, exhausted at the completion of a 
terrible ride, still seated upon his jaded horse, 
with nothing further to look forward to, and 
with weary miles of trial and hardship behind, 
the lines of his natural grace giving evidence 
of a perfect seat, which alone made it possible 
for horse and man to have in reality reached 
"The End of the Trail." 



25 



H E -:- H O R S E 



CHAPTER III. 

How the rider controls bis horse — Bits, and how they work — 
The Martingale — Spurs — Whips — Balance — How to start and 
stop a horse — How to make a horse slide — Backing a horse- 
Changing direction — Changing leads at a gallop — Teaching 
the horse to trot and to walk — Riding without reins. 

Control. — The four principal factors 
through which the rider maintains control 
over his mount are the reins, whip, spurs and 
balance. 

Bits. — The two basic principles of practi- 
cally all bits are snaffle pull and shank 
leverage. A snaffle is a bar bit broken in 
the middle, held up in the mouth by the 
headpiece and prevented from being pulled 
from the side of the mouth by the chinstrap. 
The force of the bit applied in this way, 
for the purpose of control, is the pressure 
of the broken bar on the tongue and the 
lower jaw. The leverage bit — for example, 
the Pelham — controls the horse by the up- 
ward pressure of the chinstrap and the 
downward pull of the straight mouthpiece, 
which, when force is exerted, has the tend- 
ency to hold the lower jaw in a kind of 
vise, and the back pressure of the reins has a 
deterrent effect and a tendency to hold the 
horse back. The severity of this kind of a bit 
depends especially upon the ratio between the 
length of that part of the shank extending 

26 



THE-:- HORSE 

from the mouthpiece to the rein inception ring 
and the length of the part from the mouth- 
piece to the curbstrap ring. 

The first part of this ratio we shall call "A** 
and the second part "B." It will easily be 
understood that the difference between the 
length of "A" and "B," if "A" is the greater, 
will determine the severity of the bit. In 
other words, the greater the length of "A" as 
compared to "B," the greater the severity of 
the bit. 

These principles we have just considered are 
the most important in regard to all bits. 

Port, Spade and Ring bits are primarily de- 
pendent upon the above principles, and added 
to them have their specific values, such as, in 
the case of a Spade, prying the horse's mouth 
open as well as exerting the forces already dis- 
cussed. 

The bit I like best for general use is the 
double-reined Pelham. It is not as cumber- 
some as the bit and bridoon, but it practically 
combines the forces of the snaffle and leverage 
bits. 

Some horses with sensitive mouths need 
only the pressure of the snaffle on ordinary 
occasions. If, however, it is desired to secure 
instant control of a horse that is in an excited 
condition, the leverage bit may be used to ad- 
vantage, either alone or in conjunction with 
the snaffle. For a hard-mouthed horse, a suit- 

27 



THE-:- HORSE 

able bit should have '*A," the length of the 
shank from the mouthpiece to the rein incep- 
tion ring, at least twice that of **B/' the length 
from the mouthpiece to the curbstrap ring. 

Martingale. — A martingale consists of a 
nose band, a breast band and a strap from 
the nosepiece to the cinch. This is for the 
purpose of keeping the horse from throwing 
his head, and, if properly adjusted, has the 
tendency to keep the horse's head in the best 
position for control. The reins should be at- 
tached at the ends and be of such a length 
that when the ends are permitted to rest on 
the horse's withers, there will be enough slack 
between the ends and the bit to allow the 
horse perfect freedom of head. 

Spurs. — I believe it is unnecessary to have 
spurs with sharp points. I think the most 
useful English spur is the kind that has a 
rather long shank and no rowel, while the best 
Mexican spur should have a long hook and 
blunt rowels. 

Whip. — As to the whip, a stiff crop, or a 
rawhide quirt, seems each to be the best in its 
respective line. 

Balance. — A perfect balance tends to keep 
the stride of the horse in better rhythm, also to 
keep his pace uniform, and assists him to 
change leads when desired. If the weight of 
the rider is thrown to one side of the horse it 
necessarily follows that the animal's inclina- 

28 



THE-:- HORSE 

tion will be to give to that side, in order to 
bring into balance the weight of the rider. 

Starting. — From a standing position, to 
start a horse forward lean slightly forward in 
the saddle, loosen the reins and bring the heels 
in under the horse's flanks, letting him feel 
the spur if necessary. 

Stopping. — To stop a horse progressing at 
an easy pace, give a gentle pressure on his 
mouth, leaning a little back in the saddle, and 
increasing the pressure so that the desired re- 
sult is obtained. If the horse is difficult to 
stop, instead of a steady pressure, catch him 
in short jerks, so that pressure on his mouth 
is brought when he is off balance, and in this 
way he is more apt to decrease his pace in 
order to regain his balance. 

Sliding. — Sliding is a big asset in horses 
that are required to stop and turn at excessive 
speed, such as cow horses and polo ponies. 
All well-broken cow horses slide. This is the 
quickest way of coming to a standstill from 
a fast gallop. The hind legs are the chief fac- 
tors used in sliding. When done properly, the 
horse's position in sliding is one where the 
forelegs are extended forward and are used 
chiefly for balance, while the hind legs are 
brought well up under the body, supporting 
practically all his weight. A good sliding 
horse, when stopped suddenly from a fast gal- 
lop on a slippery or fairly hard piece of ground, 

29 



THE-:- HORSE 

can be made to slide fifteen or twenty feet be- 
fore his forward motion ceases. 

To slide a well-broken horse from a gallop 
he must be caught on his stride at the moment 
his forehand leaves the ground, because at 
this time his hind legs are well under him, and 
will have the tendency to continue there if con- 
comitantly a firm pull on the animal's mouth 
is taken and held. 

A horse extended at top speed can never be 
made to slide until he is pulled down to a 
slower pace. Before the final pull is given, the 
horse's mouth should receive several checks 
from the rein in order to prepare him for the 
final stiff pull. 

Backing. — In order to back a horse, from a 
standing position the rider brings pressure on 
the bit, keeping the reins tight along the neck, 
and the animal, if taught properly, will begin 
to back. When it is desired to cease backing, 
it is often a good plan to jump the horse for- 
ward before he realizes he has actually ceased 
his backward motion; because the horse that 
is accustomed to jump forward immediately 
after a backward motion is not so apt to want 
to stop backing, on account of the subsequent 
greater exertion of having to jump forward 
with which it is associated in his mind. 

To teach a horse to back, when the horse is 
standing and the rider dismounted, the rider 
should tap the horse on the front part of his 

30 



THE-:- HORSE 

more advanced foreleg with the riding crop, 
and at the same time taking the reins with one 
hand the rider should give a pressure back- 
ward, preferably with little jerks, so that he 
will not try to pull against the bit, which he 
might do if an even pressure were applied. 

Changing Direction. — To change direction 
to the right, a little extra pressure should be 
brought to bear upon the right rein, with one 
or two almost imperceptible jerks to bring 
the horse's head in the direction in which it is 
desired to go, and a firm pressure should be 
maintained on the right rein, which has the 
tendency to pull the horse's head to the right, 
and the right rein should be a little shorter 
than the left. The left rein is brought to bear 
its pressure on the near side of the horse's 
neck. In this way the average saddle horse 
can be made to turn to the right. 

To go in the opposite direction, the same 
system of control applies, but inversely. 

Changing Leads at a Gallop. — In changing 
leads at a gallop, to turn to the right, the 
horse, if not leading to the right, should be 
made to do so, because only in this way will 
he be able to make a perfect turn. In leading 
to the right at a gallop the horse's right leg 
makes a longer stride, and when the two fore- 
legs strike, or nearly strike the ground, the 
leg on which he leads is always in front. The 
horse in leading right, since he keeps his left 

31 



THE-:- HORSE 

foreleg more under him, shoves away toward 
the right with greater ease. On the other 
hand, if he tries to turn left when leading 
right, it will easily be seen that with his right 
foreleg advanced his scope for side pressure 
would not be so great, since his foreleg, al- 
ready extended to the extreme front, would 
necessarily find difficulty in extending itself 
also to the side. 

A horse suddenly thrown off balance, from 
the left toward the right, will generally re- 
gain his balance with a right-foot lead, because 
a right lead in this case will have the tendency 
to keep the horse in better balance by allow- 
ing him to continue right with greater ease. 
For a left turn, it would follow that the horse 
would only make a correct turn in this direc- 
tion when leading on the left leg. The horse's 
hind legs, to make a perfect turn, should lead 
right or left, following the example of the fore- 
legs. 

When going at a gallop, to change to a trot 
with a horse properly broken, it may be neces- 
sary to pull him to a very slow gallop, so that 
the horse is practically forced to change to a 
slower gait. Then it will not be difficult to 
gain a faster trot by allowing him to accelerate 
speed in this gait. A kind of inertia will make 
the horse more inclined to continue in the trot 
once he has begun. 

To make a horse walk from a slow trot, if 

32 



THE-:- HORSE 

he shows a disinclination to walk, he must be 
held at an extremely slow pace, so that he is 
hardly able to move forward, and if patience 
and perseverance are maintained and this very 
slow pace continued long enough he will 
eventually walk. When walking he can be 
allowed to accelerate the walking gait, taking 
advantage of the same inertia mentioned in 
regard to trotting. 

Riding Without Reins. — Many well-broken 
horses can be ridden without reins and be 
controlled to a certain extent. Balance to 
the respective sides will of itself make such 
a horse turn right or left. Suddenly leaning 
forward, throwing the weight to the fore 
part of the horse, will give him the tendency 
to stop. Some horses will make a beautiful 
performance if for control nothing but a rope 
is placed around their neck, and the horse 
will answer the pull of this rope very 
much in the same manner as he would the 
pull of the bit. To make a horse stop and 
turn with a rope around his neck, jerk him 
until he responds, being careful to take no 
steady pull. To use this method effectively, 
slip the rope up the horse's neck toward his 
head. Since the throat is the most sensitive 
part of the neck, he will respond more 
quickly to pressure applied at this point. 
High-school horses are often controlled by 
the whip and made to stop and turn in this 
manner. 

33 



H E -:- H O R S E 



CHAPTER IV. 

Reining a horse — Use of different bits — How bis mouth is 
made — The natural gaits — The walk, the trot and the can- 
ter — Natural gaits more useiu! than acquired gaits — Popularity 
of £ve-gaited horses ior show purposes — Jumping and swjxn- 
ming. 

Reining a Horse. — There are many effect- 
ive methods of reining a horse. I shall try- 
to describe one of these, which I consider 
involves the principles pertaining to all. In- 
cidentally, for general purposes, I consider it 
the best. 

A horse should first be properly halter- 
broken. Halter breaking is easily accom- 
plished, and is largely done by merely tying 
the horse by the halter to some stationary 
object, so that no matter how much he strug- 
gles he cannot break loose. After a time 
the horse learns to keep his head toward this 
object or to the manger of the stall, as the 
case may be. When the first attempt to 
lead a horse is made he will probably try to 
run away. A man can usually maneuver so 
that the animal will be running at right 
angles to him, from which position a strong 
pull on the part of the man will usually jerk 
the horse's head around and end in pulling 
him to a standstill. When the horse finally 
gives up his idea of trying to break away, 
and allows himself to be led around, he is 
halter-broken. 

S4 



THE-:- HORSE 

A person standing in front of a horse and 
trying to pull him forward, against his will, 
will be quite unsuccessful. A horse standing 
still, not wishing to move, should be pulled 
from the side so that his neck will be bent 
around by the pull and he will have the tend- 
ency to move his legs in order to straighten 
his body in a line with his neck to keep his 
balance. This procedure will make the horse 
move a step or two in the direction desired. 
A helper with a whip, to urge the horse for- 
ward when he is pulled on the halter, facili- 
tates matters a great deal. 

The horse, having been halter-broken, has 
some idea of being pulled around, and for 
the first ride or two on a raw colt a snaffle 
bit should be used. He should then be ridden 
in some kind of an inclosed place, so that 
he may have the minimum opportunity for 
running away. He can then be pulled a little 
on one rein until his head comes around and 
his body will be inclined to follow. This 
pulling should be done a little, alternately, 
on both reins. Pulling in this way and the 
use of the snaffle bit will probably make the 
animal's mouth sore. 

After one or two lessons of this sort, 
which should not last more than ten or 
fifteen minutes, a hackamore, instead of a 
bridle, should be placed on the horse. 

A hackamore is a kind of rawhide halter, 

35 



THE-:- HORSE 

with the nosepiece very low and taut around 
the animal's nose. The horse should now be 
one-reined. If, for example, he is to be 
turned right, a firm pull should be taken on 
the right rein and the left rein rubbed 
against the near side of his neck. After a 
period that naturally varies with the apti- 
tude of the horse, the animal when turning 
to the right will respond to the feel of the 
left rein on his neck, and a much greater 
pull on the right rein will not be necessary 
in order to make him turn in this direction. 

To rein to the left, the same principles are 
applied inversely. 

A horse is generally used in a hackamore 
for about a year, and then he is double- 
reined for another year. Double-reining 
consists in putting a Spanish bit bridle over 
the hackamore and allowing the animal to 
carry the spade bit in his mouth for this 
length of time. During this period, how- 
ever, he is controlled almost entirely by the 
hackamore, and merely allowed to carry the 
bit in his mouth in order to become used 
to it and play with the wheel at the fore 
part of the spade, which has the tendency to 
keep his mouth wet.* 

The horse by this time should be com- 
pletely bridlewise to the hackamore and by 



Note. — See page 53 on the subject "Polo. 

36 



THE-:- HORSE 

degrees this knowledge can be transferred 
to the spade bit, so that he will stop and turn 
by a pull on this bit and the feel of the 
reins on his neck. To teach a horse to stop 
properly is discussed in "Sliding." 

A quick way to rein a horse is to reverse 
this process, using the hackamore for the first 
few rides and then a snaffle bit for about a 
year, and when the horse is bridlewise to the 
snaffle a light Pelham may be used, and by that 
time the horse's mouth will be practically 
made. 

To use a hackamore successfully, never 
keep a steady pressure on the horse's nose; 
while, on the other hand, a slight feel of the 
bit at times may be maintained. 

Gaits. — The ordinary horse has three gaits : 
the walk, the trot and the canter. Such a 
horse is called three-gaited or square-gaited, 
and these are the natural gaits of a horse. A 
running walk, single-foot, rack, which approx- 
imates a fast single-foot, foxtrot, and pace 
are so-called artificial gaits. In some in- 
stances they are natural to the horse, espe- 
cially the pace. 

A square-gaited horse is generally better 
for mountain use or when working over 
rough country, because he carries his legs 
higher from the ground than the animal that 
single-foots or paces. Also a square-gaited 
horse is apt to be more agile on its legs than 

37 



THE-:- HORSE 

the artificially gaited animal, because the 
three natural gaits are more readily adjusted 
to quick turning and starting than are the 
artificial ones. 

There are contrivances, such as lateral 
biped straps, for the pacer, and also methods 
of training by which almost any horse can be 
made to perform one of these artificial gaits. 
Urging a horse faster than a walk and the 
constant restraint from a trot, if persisted 
in, will probably make the horse so shuffle 
up his legs that he will find himself perform- 
ing the shuffle or single-foot. 

Five-gaited horses are used to a great ex- 
tent for park hacks and always find a popu- 
lar place in the Horse Show. The five-gaited 
horse generally walks, foxtrots, trots, racks 
and canters. 

Jumping. — A jumper taking an obstacle 
leaves the ground with his forefeet first and 
returns to the ground in the same order. 
There are three kinds of jumping horses: 
the horse that takes the jumps from a very 
slow speed, walking or trotting; the horse 
that takes the jumps at an average speed; 
and the horse that rushes the jumps. The 
slow-speed jumper rears on his hind legs 
and catapults into the air. This is usually the 
type of jumper that can clear the greatest 
height. The rusher is the type that can 
make the greatest broad jump. The type 

38 



THE-:- HORSE 

that takes a jump from a moderate gallop is 
the most common and the most generally 
useful. 

A good jumper must be a good judge of 
distance, since the take-off is of vital im- 
portance. If a four-foot hurdle is to be 
cleared, a jumper of the common type should 
take-off at about three feet from the obstacle. 

The rider in taking a jump, riding a horse 
of the kind we are discussing, should, as he 
approaches the obstacle at a moderate pace, 
accelerate his speed, gather the reins under 
him, lean slightly forward, and a moment 
before the take-off urge the horse with extra 
pressure of the knees or heels, being careful 
to avoid taking any stiff pressure on the ani- 
mal's mouth. 

The horse rises in front and finally leaves 
the ground with his hind legs, gains the 
maximum height, is carried by the force of 
the impetus over the obstacle, and descends 
with his fore hand first. 

The rider's body should be thrown back 
and a firm pressure on the reins taken in 
order that the horse may be steadied when 
alighting. Upon the consummation of the 
jump, however, the reins should be loosened 
at once, in order that the horse will not ac- 
quire the idea of being pulled up immedi- 
ately he has taken the hurdle. 

39 



THE-:- HORSE 

Swimming. — All horses are able to swim 
after a fashion. A horse that swims badly 
will probably only succeed in keeping his 
head above the water for a few minutes, pro- 
vided there is no weight on his back; while a 
horse that is a really good swimmer can nego- 
tiate a current in which no man could live. 
Such a horse can swim several miles with ease 
and keep his head above water as long as his 
strength lasts. 

In crossing a river of considerable volume 
and swift current, in circumstances that jus- 
tify a reasonable doubt that the horse will 
be the victor, unless every assistance is given 
him by the rider, the best way when starting 
to swim is for the rider to dismount on the 
near side, holding the reins, and guiding the 
direction of the horse with his left hand, 
while holding on to the pommel of the saddle 
with his right. The weight of the rider will 
be carried by the water, and in this way will 
not act as an extra burden to the horse and 
impede his action. Care must be taken, if 
the current is strong and the river has to be 
crossed, to keep the horse's head upstream 
at an angle of approximately forty-five de- 
grees, because a horse carried head-first 
downstream by a swift current will have 
great difficulty in ever fronting the current 
from that position. 

When a dangerous crossing is to be made, 

40 



THE-:- HORSE 

try and conserve the animal's strength as 
much as possible, so that at a crucial moment, 
such as when trying to make a projection on 
the opposite bank before being carried past 
it, whipping, shouting and pulling on the 
reins will produce the maximum effort of 
which the animal is capable. 

It is a common idea that the proper way 
to swim a horse, in any body of water, is with 
the rider holding on by the animal's tail. 
While in this position, however, the rider 
has the minimum control of direction. Off- 
setting this disadvantage is the fact that the 
horse thus maneuvered cannot kick the person 
holding his tail until he reaches shallow 
water. 



41 



H E -:- H O R S E 



CHAPTER V. 

Riding up and down hill or on a pavement — The right and 
wrong ways oi doing so — Xenophon's comments about ancient 
hill riders — Opening a gate when on horseback — Talking to 
horses — E£Bcacy of a well-spoken word — The art of falling 
off — How best to escape injury — A midnight runaway and a 
drop in the darkness. 

Riding a Horse Up and Down Hill and in 
Other Difficult Places. — Consensus of opin- 
ion tells us that it is always detrimental to 
the constitution o£ a horse to ride him rapid- 
ly up or down hill, on a pavement, or, in fact, 
any place where the ground is hard. 

This is true for the general run of riders, 
and indulgence in such riding would un- 
doubtedly work a hardship on the horse so 
ridden. But let us now examine in exactly 
what way the hardship is wrought. 

The ordinary unskilled and ignorant horse- 
man, who delights in running his horse up 
hill, will probably not realize when the horse 
is winded, and will continue the exercise 
until the horse's wind is permanently af- 
fected. The same person riding a horse 
rapidly down hill, will probably not keep the 
animal under him collected, and some time on 
the downward slope he will be the cause of 
over-balancing the horse, making him lose 
a step, or strike the ground with an excep- 
tionally hard blow with his hoof in an effort 
to regain the balance lost. 

42 



THE-:- HORSE 

Riding a horse in this way has undoubtedly 
a detrimental effect upon the soundness of 
the animal's legs and is likely to cause al- 
most any kind of localized hurt. In the 
same way, riding a horse rapidly on a very 
hard or slippery piece of ground will usually 
cause harm. The hurt does not take place 
merely as the normal consequence of riding 
him on this kind of ground, but because the 
horse has momentarily lost his balance, and 
in an effort to regain it has strained him- 
self; it follows that the average rider would 
do well to refrain from this kind of equita- 
tion. 

An expert horseman, however, may do all 
of these things without injuring his mount. 
He instinctively feels the position of the 
horse's legs under him, and, with his aids 
to control, he keeps the animal at all times 
collected. He also maintains a more or less 
uniform gait, which has the tendency to keep 
the horse balanced and in his proper stride. 

Hard work on very hard ground will often 
make the horse's legs "stock up," but will 
rarely do any real injury. The tendons 
merely fill a little. If the horse is very old, it 
is true that this would be a reason for him to 
"go sore." The problem of riding down hill 
was not overlooked by Xenophon, whose 
views on this subject, written twenty-three 
hundred years ago, are still worth quoting: 

43 



THE-:- HORSE 

**To make him (the horse) go down steep 
places, we must begin to train him on soft 
ground; and at length, when he is accus- 
tomed to this, he will run much more readily 
down a slope than up it. As to what some 
people fear, that horses will dislocate their 
shoulders in being ridden down steep places, 
let them be under no apprehension, when 
they are told that the Persians and the Odry- 
sae all ride as fast as they can down steep 
hills, and yet have horses not less sound than 
those of the Greeks." 

In the ascent, the mane, or some part of 
the horse's equipment that is attached to the 
neck or shoulder, can be taken hold of with 
advantage, and the stirrups pressed back to- 
ward the tail so as to prevent the body of the 
rider from slipping backward. The reins 
also should be left loose, in order to allow 
the horse to have free use of his head and to 
be able to rush a piece of ground so steep 
jthat the forward momentum lost for a mo- 
ment would cause the horse to slip back- 
ward. In descending a steep incline, how- 
ever, the reins should be held taut, the body 
of the rider thrown well back in the saddle, 
and his weight put as much as possible into 
the stirrups. In this way the horse can be 
steadied, and it will give him more confi- 
dence in keeping his balance. 



44 



THE-:- HORSE 

Opening and Closing Gates. — To open a 
gate from the back of a horse that is not 
broken to this maneuver may often require 
a great deal of patience on the part of the 
rider. 

Bring the horse up to the gate and urge 
him with the heel or whip until he is stand- 
ing sideways and next to the bolt. When he 
is standing in this way care should be taken 
to make no sudden movement on his back. 
The rider should then lean slowly toward the 
gate, keeping at least one rein taut. When 
the lock is open, with the proper aids, move 
the horse toward or away from the gate, as 
the case may be, before he, of his own ac- 
cord, moves. 

To close a gate, riding the horse to the 
new position of the gate upon its hinge, 
swing it to, and follow quickly with him to 
the closed position of the gate. If the gate 
swings back toward the horse, and the horse 
shies back from the gate, this procedure will 
have to be continued until the animal will 
advance quickly toward the closed position 
of the gate and stand without moving, even 
though the gate may swing back against him. 
In this way the gate can be closed. 

Talking to a Horse. — Some horses are 
peculiarly susceptible to sound, and at a crisis, 
or at a time when it is desired that every fac- 
ulty and every muscle of the horse should 

45 



THE-:- HORSE 

strain to do its utmost, a word in a firm reas- 
suring tone will often elicit a response that in 
no other way could be obtained. A word at 
the wrong time will often have the opposite 
effect and be disconcerting. 

A horse going to a high jump about to take 
off, if spoken to at the wrong moment, is likely 
to become confused, and make a worse per- 
formance than if no word had been spoken. 

Many horses are made to obey words. If, 
for example, "Get up" is said, accompanied 
with a loose rein, the pressure of the heel, or 
a rap of the whip, and this is done often 
enough, the horse will learn to move forward 
to avoid the rap which he expects to receive, 
and in the same manner if "Whoa" is said 
invariably before pulling on the reins, to stop, 
the horse, at the time associating "Whoa" with 
the pull of the reins, will stop before he feels 
the pull which he expects, and thus seek to 
avoid the pressure on his mouth. 

Falling Off. — There are times when it is 
wise to fall from the back of a horse, but 
more frequently a fall is forced upon a rider 
by the mistake of his horse. The use of short 
stirrups is of great assistance in enabling a 
rider to throw himself, without injury, from 
a falling horse, because the rider, if adept, can 
jump from such stirrups and fling himself out 
of reach of the horse's falling body. Since the 
knees have to be bent to jump, it can easily be 

46 



THE-:- HORSE 

seen that long stirrups would be disadvanta- 
geous to a rider in such circumstances. 

Most persons, who give the matter consid- 
eration at all, prefer to fall from the left side 
of a horse, since it gives greater scope for 
agility. 

The most important principle to be observed 
in falling from a horse with the minimum risk 
of injury to the rider, is that of allowing one's 
muscles to relax, and rolling as far as possible, 
either as a result of the impetus given to the 
rider by the animal, or by the use of the rider's 
own energy. If possible, the rider should let 
himself slip down slowly at first, until his 
body is near the ground, and then throw him- 
self with all his force for the purpose of rolling. 
In this way injury from the horse's hoofs or 
falling body can best be avoided. 

If the horse falls over backward, the rider 
should jump forward on the left side from his 
near stirrup at the moment of the horse irrevo- 
cably losing its balance. If the horse falls on 
his head, the rider, without resistance, should 
allow himself to be projected forward out of 
the saddle, and add in any way possible to the 
natural impetus the horse has given him 
towards rolling. 

If the horse falls on his right side, the right 
leg from the knee to the heel should be thrown 
upward and toward the back of the horse. The 

47 



THE-:- HORSE 

rider's leg will not be injured unless the horse 
turns a complete somersault, which is very 
improbable. A fall of the horse on his left 
side is probably least dangerous to the rider, 
as the left leg from heel to knee can be raised 
more quickly than in the case of the right leg, 
while the right leg makes its normal swing as 
in dismounting. 

The rider, freeing himself from a falling 
horse, should do so on the side toward which 
the horse is falling, thus avoiding being kicked 
by the legs of the probably struggling animal. 

One night, while riding home from Bakers- 
field to a neighboring ranch, at a walking gait, 
I fell asleep on my horse. My mount was a 
notorious runaway, and my dreams were dis- 
turbed in the following manner: The horse, 
frightened, I believe, by a chained dog, jumped 
forward and in a moment was away at the top 
of his stride. His first jump threw me back- 
ward over the cantle of the saddle between 
which and the horse's tail I hung suspended. 
The reins had been jerked out of my hands. 
Instinctively I grasped the cantle at the mo- 
ment of awakening. My situation was not 
enviable. Pitch blackness all around. The 
racing hoofbeats in my ears. What to do 
now was the vital question. To continue in 
the position I held was but to postpone the 
inevitable. Barbed wire fences and trees 
loomed ominously ahead. To crawl forward 

48 



THE-:- HORSE 

over the cantle would mean certain death 
should, at that moment, a collision occur. 

This is what I did: I jumped a few inches 
upward from the horse's back, allowing the 
animal to pass out from under me. Although 
I received a very hard fall, it was the only way 
I could have escaped a greater injury. 



49 



H E -:- H O R S E 



CHAPTER VI. 

Racing and race horses — Early training — Reasons for the 
light bit and the short stirrup — Use and misuse of the whip 
in racing — Horse show ethics — Looks are everything — Satisfy 
the judge — Importance of etiquette — Polo ponies — They just 
happen and are not bred — Di&culty of Ending them — Ameni' 
ties of the polo pony trade — What constitutes a perfect polo 
pony. 

Racing. — The race horse is usually halter- 
broken when it is a few months old. From the 
time of its birth it is constantly handled by 
man, so that even from colthood it is a very 
domestic kind of animal. Its training begins 
when it is a yearling. The lightest possible 
rider is found in order that the minimum risk 
may be taken of injuring the animal's legs, 
which are naturally very subject to injury at 
this time. 

Many of the most important races in the 
history of a horse are run when he is but two 
years old. Horses of this age, and under, 
generally are "breezed" (exercised) about an 
eighth of a mile once or twice a week. 

To determine the possibility a horse has of 
winning a given race, the weight carried and 
the length of the race must be known, the 
horse's staying qualities, its breeding and past 
performance borne in mind, and its probable 
behavior at the line-up taken into considera- 
tion, so that some idea may be had of what 
kind of a start is to be expected. 

The method adopted in racing a horse and 

50 



THE-:- HORSE 

getting the greatest speed out of him consists, 
first, in the proper use of a very light bit, and 
taking a steady pressure on the horse's mouth, 
so that the horse in turn will take a steady 
pressure on the bit and will pull against the 
hold of his rider. This kind of treatment will 
obtain from a horse far more consistent speed 
than a loose rein will produce, since the horse, 
once taking hold of the racing snaffle, will tend 
to keep the same pressure against the bit, no 
matter how exhausted he may feel. 

Very short stirrups and the rider's weight 
placed above the shoulders of a horse allow 
him the maximum employment of his hind 
legs and muscles which are the chief factors 
in propulsion. 

A whip, when applied at the right moment, 
has a stimulating effect, and will give a horse 
the desire to run with the greatest possible 
speed. If applied at the wrong moment, it 
has the opposite effect, and will often make 
the horse "dog it." Experience and knowledge 
of the individual horse alone can indicate the 
proper moment for the use of the whip. A 
horse that is doing its utmost, if whipped 
beyond a certain point, will react with resent- 
ment or give up. A whip can be used advan- 
tageously for a quick break away. A sting of 
the whip at the right moment will sometimes 
make the co-ordination between the mind and 
muscles of a lagging horse more taut. 

51 



THE-:- HORSE 

At the Horse Show. — Appearance is the 
most important factor at a horse show, and a 
well-groomed horse will have a great advant- 
age in the ring over another animal whose 
intrinsic worth may be the same, but who has 
not had the same care. 

Since the winning of prizes depends entirely 
upon the decision of the judge, the personal 
equation is most important. To satisfy the 
judge should be the primary object of each 
contestant. No two judges have quite the 
same thought about a horse, and if the identity 
of the presiding judge is known before the 
show, it will facilitate a contestant, who has a 
number of horses from which to select, to 
choose the ones that would have the greatest 
chance of winning. 

Some horses, especially those of the phleg- 
matic type, show to a better advantage in the 
ring, than at any other time. The music, and 
commotion incident to a large number of per- 
sons assembled together, stimulate the animal. 
On the other hand, a horse inclined to be ex- 
citable, although for general use he may fulfill 
the work required of him in an efficient way, 
in the ring will become nervous and give a 
poor performance. 

Etiquette is an important thing. It is cus- 
tomary for those winning premiums to place 
the ribbon in the mouth, and ride once around 
the ring. The exit from the ring, through 

52 



THE-:- HORSE 

which horses are led out, sometimes of itself 
gives rise to the horse acting badly. Care 
should be taken when the animal is passing 
such a place instantly to counteract any in- 
clination he might have to leave the ring. 

Polo. — Polo ponies happen — they are not 
bred, at least to no greater extent than apti- 
tude can be inherited. The chief factors per- 
taining to a polo pony are speed, staying qual- 
ity, and a good mouth, which will continue 
sensitive no matter how winded the animal 
may become. (A mouth that becomes dry, 
and loses its saliva, will invariably lose its 
sensitiveness. Therefore some idea can be 
had, by looking at a horse's mouth after he 
has been through violent exercise, whether his 
mouth is sensitive or not.) 

A well-reined horse, without any habits of 
shying off a mallet, or off other horses, is 
necessary. The horse should be able to jump 
forward quickly, and accelerate his speed so 
that in a few lengths he has his full stride. 
A horse that is about fifteen hands in height 
and runs low to the ground is perhaps the best 
for this purpose, when the length and weight 
of the average polo mallet are considered. 

Fine polo ponies are often found on the big 
cow ranches in the western part of North 
America. I have had ten years' experience 
buying and selling these animals. It is diffi- 
cult to tell, with any certainty, whether a horse 

53 



THE-:- HORSE 

will make a fine polo pony or not, unless he 
has actually been taken and played on the 
polo field. 

To go polo pony hunting through the cattle 
ranches is very interesting. The polo pony 
buyer is confronted with a number of animals ; 
anything from a Shetland pony to a shire 
horse. If he is not personally acquainted with 
the owners, he will do well to be ready for 
any kind of a ride, since a bucking horse or 
two may be among those shown. This is a 
kind of Western humor that is irrepressible. 

A horse that shows breeding, has saddle 
marks, a hackamore nose, and a sleepy look 
in its eye, is likely to prove interesting to the 
polo man. Such a horse having been saddled, 
the buyer mounts and works him in circles, 
figure eights, and races him up and down, 
taking note of the horse's staying qualities, 
the resiliency of mouth, and how he handles 
his hind legs when suddenly brought to a stop 
from a fast gallop. The buyer watches the 
faces of the horse owners and continues this 
exercise as long as they seem willing to have 
it progress, because to get any idea of the 
value a horse may have for polo, he must be 
worked fast up and down for quite a long time. 
Such a horse, that will continue to respond 
quickly to every demand of his rider will prob- 
ably make a good polo pony. 

A good polo pony will always stake race 

54 



THE-:- HORSE 

well, but a good stake horse will not neces- 
sarily play polo well. The reason for this is 
that a stake race only involves one turn, and 
a period of polo involves many turns and the 
continual pulling and mauling of the animal's 
mouth. Some horses will make one or two 
quick turns and then lose sensitiveness in the 
mouth. Such horses will be useless for polo. 

Sometimes a polo horse buyer is able to pur- 
chase an animal for around a hundred dollars, 
and after keeping him for a few months may 
sell him for two or three thousand dollars. On 
first thought this would seem to include a 
profit beyond all reason, which would involve 
"stealing" him in the first place and his sale at 
an exorbitant figure a few months later. An 
opportunity of this sort, however, occurs very 
rarely. 

If we take into consideration the fact that 
such a horse, for the purposes of his original 
owner, could probably be duplicated for less 
than a hundred dollars, and that the polo man 
has bought from fifty to one hundred head of 
horses that he has had to sell at a loss in 
order to obtain a single really good one, the 
profit will not seem so excessive. Also it must 
be remembered that the polo buyer can never 
be sure that he has secured a very fine polo 
pony until it has actually played a month or 
two. 



55 



H E -:- H O R S E 



CHAPTER VII. 

Habits of the horse, natural and acquired — Getting up and 
lying down — Balking — A useful method of treating it — Roll- 
ing — How to prevent it — Pawing — Rearing — Striking — Kicking 
— Biting — Cinch Binding — Shying — How to make a shying 
horse go past the object of bis terror — Stumbling — Falling — 
Prancing — Plunging — Crow-hopping — Bucking, buck jumpers 
and how to ride them — Some general remarks about equine 
idiosyncrasies. 

Getting Up and Lying Down, — A horse 
rising from a lying position on the ground 
will straighten out his forelegs first, raising 
the forepart of his body until he is almost 
in a sitting position, and then, by a contrac- 
tion of the muscles, bring his hind legs under 
his body, and raise his hindquarters from 
the ground. When preparing to lie down, a 
horse will often first go to his knees, and 
will always nearly touch the ground with 
his nose, letting the forepart of his body 
rest on the ground first. 

Balking. — Balking, ordinarily, is the pre- 
rogative of the mule. It is an unfortunate 
inhibition on the part of an animal and dis- 
turbs the less philosophical rider. The ani- 
mal in this case stands perfectly still and 
refuses to move in any direction. 

Some well-meaning persons advise as a cure 
the building of a fire under the balking ani- 
mal, or some other measure equally drastic. 
Such treatment, however, is not be be en- 
couraged, because although it will undoubt- 

56 



THE-:- HORSE 

edly eliminate from the animal's mind the 
desire to balk, it will anger or pain him to 
such a degree that he will probably run 
madly away and cause the ill-advised person 
injury of some sort. 

Balking is a habit that is usually produced 
by bad management, and is more prevalent 
in old and long-suffering animals than in 
others. If a horse, who is predisposed in 
this way, sees in front of him a steep hill, 
and is allowed to stand for a few moments 
contemplating it, he will probably become 
discouraged and balk. A deep river or heavy 
sand will often produce the same effect. To 
prevent a horse from balking, the rider 
should hurry him up or through these places, 
so that but a moment of time is allowed the 
animal for meditation. 

In the middle of Taylor Creek it was my 
misfortune at one time to find myself seated 
upon an animal which assumed a balking 
position. The art to be employed in dis- 
couraging a horse from balking depends upon 
some method of annoying the beast, by de- 
grees, so that he becomes disgusted with 
himself and is willing to cease. Finding my- 
self in this position in midstream, I took off 
my hat and filled it with water, which I slowly 
poured into the animal's ears, taking care to 
allow only a very fine stream to enter. The 
animal gave evidence of being displeased, 

57 



THE-:- HORSE 

and, being unable to make me aware of his 
displeasure by continuing in a stationary 
attitude, he, after the first application of 
water, shook his head violently and rushed 
from the stream. 

Where there is no water, the best way to 
get a balking horse in motion is to take a 
whip and hit him gently and frequently upon 
one front leg until it moves, and then upon 
the other. I say front leg, because a horse 
associates a front leg almost entirely with 
forward movement but is apt to think of 
kicking when having his attention called 
forcibly to a hind leg. I have never seen the 
above treatment fail, if continued a reason- 
able length of time. 

Rolling. — A horse usually rolls for the 
purpose of rubbing his back. Horses have 
been known to roll in order to rid them- 
selves of their riders, but this is very rare. 
Some horses have an unfortunate inclination 
to roll when crossing a shallow stream or a 
very muddy place. The rider will do well, 
the moment the animal has assumed a stand- 
ing position in a place of this sort, with head 
down and knees slightly bent, to urge him 
vigorously ahead with whip or spur, since 
it often takes drastic measures to overcome 
this desire of the horse. 

A horse before rolling will nearly always 
try and stand still for a few moments, and 

58 



THE-:- HORSE 

will shift his weight from one front leg to 
the other, with lowered head. A rider ob- 
serving these symptoms should act at once. 

Pawing. — Pawing is a nervous movement 
made by the horse, particularly when being 
restrained in his desire to move forward. In 
the act of pawing, the horse stretches one 
front leg forward, strikes the ground with its 
hoof, toe pointed downward, and carries the 
hoof back and up toward the girth. Most 
horses at some time paw. The habit is not 
serious. 

Rearing. — In rearing, the horse has the 
tendency to stand straight up on his hind 
legs. Bad handling will often cause a horse to 
do this. Cinch-binding is also a cause. It is 
said that a bottle of charged water broken 
upon the horse's head, between his ears, in 
such a way that its contents will run down 
the face of the animal, will eradicate the 
horse's desire to rear. This may, in part, be 
true, as a blow of sufficient force adminis- 
tered to the head will act as a kind of panacea 
and will eradicate the desire to rear, as well 
as all other natural instincts to which the 
horse is heir. However, this method is self- 
evldently foolish. 

The best preventive method is to avoid any 
sudden pull upon the reins, especially when 
the horse is standing still, because it is at 
this time he will most likely rear. 

59 



THE-:- HORSE 

Striking. — When a horse kicks with his 
forelegs it is called striking. To do this he 
rears on his hind legs and can only be really 
dangerous on the downward and outward 
stroke of his forelegs. A man does not need 
to stand directly in front of such a horse to 
receive a blow from his forelegs, because in 
rearing to strike he will often pivot on his 
hind legs in order to get in line with his 
target. When the horse rears to strike, real 
presence of mind will usually enable a per- 
son, within the radius of his forelegs, to 
jump backward before the horse can com- 
plete the downward stroke. A horse can 
only strike from a standing position, and 
having struck once, independent of hitting 
his target, will hardly ever strike a second 
time in rapid succession. 

Kicking. — A horse can kick in almost any 
direction with his hind legs. The target, 
however, that appeals most to the horse is at 
a point about two feet from and directly be- 
hind them. This preference aside, however, 
the horse with his hind legs can kick effec- 
tively forward and sideways. This last is 
called cow-kicking, because the cow is espe- 
cially apt in this form of exercise. A person 
seated on a clever kicking horse is not neces- 
sarily placed beyond the animal's reach. I 
remember once having the shank of my spur 
kicked off when riding upon such an animal. 

60 



THE-:- HORSE 

A vicious horse will often kick at his rider's 
stirrups when bucking, because when in the 
air his legs are not needed to keep balance. 
A person who stands right up against the 
horse's hind legs will suffer far less injury 
from a kick than one who stands a foot or 
two away. However, neither position is to be 
recommended when working near a vicious 
horse. 

Biting. — Untamed horses will nearly al- 
ways use their teeth as a weapon of defense. 
Even gentle horses will sometimes bite under 
provocative circumstances. Cinch tightly an 
old horse, so disposed, and leave his head 
loose, and he will probably take a piece out 
of the would-be rider's left arm. Fore- 
thought will very easily eliminate the pos- 
sibility of this. The rider need only take 
the near cheekpiece, directly above the bit, in 
his left hand, and, placing his knuckles 
against the cheek of the horse, cinch with 
his right hand. If the horse tries to turn his 
head to bite, a poke with the knuckles will 
discourage him. Vicious stallions and mares 
show a great partiality toward biting. If 
one must work within reach of the teeth of 
such a horse, the judicious use of a small 
club, or the butt end of a whip, will help 
keep the animal's mouth where it belongs. 

I once saw, between the Rattlesnake Moun- 
tains and Carson Sink, on a desolate alkali 

61 



THE-:- HORSE 

waste, a veritable battle of the stallions. One 
day when we were returning to camp near the 
Walker River, while hunting Fuzztail, the 
wild horse of Nevada, we halted at the edge 
of a rock barrier, and there, several hundred 
yards before us, were two great stallions, 
leaders of rival bands, engaged in a battle to 
the death, as it shortly proved. 

With screams of rage and ripping teeth 
they fought until one, gashed in the throat, 
was left convulsed in its death struggles on 
the alkali waste that it long had called its 
own. 

The big Jacks of the mule-breeding 
ranches are more terrible with their teeth 
than the horse. They have the tenacity of 
the bulldog in combat, and fortunate is the 
fighting stallion that has steered clear from 
such an issue. 

Cinch-binding. — Cinch-binding is a habit 
generally founded upon predisposition. It 
is manifested by the horse cringing when 
cinched and rearing with legs stiff. Un- 
usually fine hair and delicate skin are the 
commonest causes of this habit. 

If a horse is inclined this way he should 
be cinched carefully, the cinch being tight- 
ened by degrees, and then the animal should 
be led around several steps before being 
mounted. Many cinch-binders have fallen 
over backward with a too-impatient rider. 

62 



THE-:- HORSE 

Bad cinch-binders will always fall over 
backward if mounted and started off too 
quickly. 

Shying. — Shying is a common habit of the 
horse and is often caused by defective eye- 
sight. It usually manifests itself by his 
dancing away from an object, or suddenly 
stopping dead in his tracks. Often, too, a 
horse in shying spins away from the source 
of fright. Fluttering paper, or almost any 
other unusual object, will cause him to shy. 

Understanding well the nature of a horse, 
and being able to anticipate what will 
frighten him, will enable the rider to throw 
his balance so that it will be more in har- 
mony with the shying horse. If it is de- 
sired to take him up to the object at which 
he shies, infinite patience should be used, so 
that, by degrees, the horse will accustom 
himself to the object and see for himself 
that it should give him no occasion for alarm. 
Urge him forward at the object, then, if he 
shies away, ride him a little further away 
from it than shying would naturally take 
him, and start him back again toward the 
point of fear. The fact that he finds himself 
actually going forward toward something of 
which he is inclined to be afraid helps give 
the animal confidence. Xenophon's observa- 
tions in this matter are undoubtedly true : 

"As to those who force horses forward with 

63 



THE-:- HORSE 

blows, in such a case, they only inspire them 
with greater terror: for they imagine, when 
they suffer any pain at such a time, that what 
they look upon with alarm is in some way the 
cause of it." 

Some years ago. near Lake Tahoe, I rode a 
horse toward Taylor Creek. My objective 
was on the other side of the stream. About 
two or three hundred feet from the bridge 
my horse began to shy and at first refused to 
go closer. The melting snow of spring was 
no great inducement to me to try and swim 
the river, although it was necessary for me to 
get to the other side. The horse I rode was an 
inveterate shyer. I was in a hurry so I used 
the following expedient. Quite a distance 
from the bridge I started the horse toward 
it, hoping that the force of his momentum 
would carry him well into the shying zone 
before he could succeed in stopping his for- 
ward movement. If a horse can be induced, 
by subterfuge or otherwise, to arrive in the 
middle of a place of which he is afraid, he 
will undoubtedly shy. but he will be \villing 
to shy in almost any direction so that only a 
little persuasion from the rider will deter- 
mine the direction. In this instance my 
horse so handled his legs that he stopped on 
the outskirts of his shying zone in such an 
able manner that he nearly precipitated me 
over his head. I resorted then to the next 

64 



THE-:- HORSE 

trick in my repertory. Facing the unwilling 
beast around so that he presented his tail to 
the bridge, I succeeded in backing him up 
until he was upon the bridge before he 
realized it. Thus I was able to persuade him 
to shy off the bridge's other end, which 
brought me in good time to my destination. 

Stumbling. — Stumbling is a kind of habit 
with many horses. Horses that keep their 
hoofs close to the ground are predisposed to 
stumble. Phlegmatic and careless horses are 
apt to stumble. Faulty conformation is often 
a cause. If such a horse is to be taken over an 
uneven piece of ground, it is well, with the 
use of a whip or other aid, to keep him in an 
excited condition. When excited, he will be 
more on the alert and more apt to lift his 
feet high from the ground than he would be 
in ordinary circumstances. 

Falling. — Some horses throw themselves 
purposely, but this is very rare. A bad rider, 
in saving his own balance, often pulls over 
backward a horse that is inclined to rear. 
The usual cause of falling, however, is a per- 
fectly normal one, and is merely produced by 
the horse slipping, or crossing his legs, which 
is the result of slipping. To turn when gal- 
loping in excess of a certain rate of speed on 
a slippery place or an uneven piece of ground 
is a very common cause of a horse's falling. 
A stumbling horse will often fall, but usually 

65 



THE-:- HORSE 

only to his knees, which is hard on the knees, 
but not so serious to the rider. 

Prancing. — Prancing is a harmless form of 
activity often indulged in by a high-strung 
horse. It consists merely in a kind of hop- 
ping up and down, and occasions a rider with 
a poor seat discomfiture, since he finds it dif- 
ficult in keeping in rhythm with the action of* 
the horse. Hard and long rides have a seda- 
tive effect in this regard upon the horse and 
lessen his desire to jump up and down. 

Plunging. — Plunging is a kind of exagger- 
ated prancing. A plunging horse will easily 
turn into a runaway. 

Crow-hopping. — Crow-hopping is a mild 
form of bucking, in which the fore feet and 
the hind feet of a horse leave and return to 
the ground alternately. This motion of a 
horse should not occasion a good rider any 
discomfort. An old horse that has passed its 
bucking sage will often crow-hop as a result 
of a tight cinch and a cold back. 

Bucking. — Of the many annoyances that a 
horse can occasion his rider, bucking is by 
far the worst. The best rider in the world 
will some time find a horse that will buck him 
off, and the most terrific bucking horse will 
some time find a rider that he cannot throw. 

Most horses on the American and Aus- 
tralian continents have been allowed to run 
wild from colthood. These will instinctively 
buck the first time they are ridden, unless 

66 



THE-:- HORSE 

great care is taken in getting them gradually 
accustomed to the feel of the saddle and the 
ways of man. 

Bucking with all really wild horses is con- 
genital, being part of the strongest instinct, 
self-preservation. The horse in its evolution 
was ever subject to attacks by beasts of prey, 
and the great cats of prehistoric times were 
probably the first living creatures to try 
riding upon the back of a horse in order to 
kill from this point of vantage. Thus it 
has become instinctive with the horse to try 
and throw the thing that may have obtained 
a lodging upon its back. Experience taught 
him that bucking was most effective, and 
sometimes it does not take so very much 
provocation to make the present-day horse 
revert to the defensive measures used by its 
ancestors. 

If a rider can stay on the back of a horse 
for the first ten bucks he is not likely to be 
dislodged, since most horses perceptibly tire 
from that time on. The ordinary horse will 
rarely make more than twenty or thirty bucks 
at one time. Bucking is performed by the 
horse placing its head between its front legs 
and catapulting itself into the air, leaving 
the ground usually with its front feet first. 
To prevent a horse from bucking, the rider 
should, by a succession of jerks on one rein, 
try to keep him from putting down his head. 
By pulling on one side in this manner, the 

67 



THE-:- HORSE 

rider makes it less easy for the horse to give 
free play to his muscles, also a semblance of 
control is maintained, which psychologically 
helps to discourage the animal from its at- 
tempts to throw its rider. 

To stay on the back of a bucking horse 
large and dull Mexican spurs may be used to 
advantage. The rider can either hook the 
cinch with the spurs, or the horse's flanks. 
It is not well, however, to hook the horse's 
flanks until, in the vernacular, "he is going 
high and crooked," because it would be like 
touching a match to a keg of dynamite when 
an explosion might have been averted. The 
explosion, however, having once taken place, 
it is safe to suppose that the horse is exert- 
ing himself to his utmost, and that no form 
of grip the rider may take will cause a greater 
exertion on the part of the animal. At this 
time the reins, gripped firmly in the left 
hand, will assist greatly in keeping the rider 
in the saddle, and his right hand swinging 
free will assist in maintaining his balance. 

General Remarks. — Bad habits in a horse 
and innate viciousness, in a general way, are 
best overcome by gradually making the 
animal realize that opposition is futile. 
Make him understand that no harm, un- 
reasonable annoyance or hardship is in- 
tended. His resentment and desire to 
forcibly rid himself of the discomfort and 
fright occasioned by man will then cease. 

68 



H E -:- H O R S E 



CHAPTER VIII. 

Running Away — A dangerous habit and difficult to cure — 
Story of an incorrigible runaway and his fate. 

Running Away. — This is usually the mani- 
festation of panic in a horse. He is con- 
fronted suddenly with an unreasoning fear 
and runs wildly, expending energy so power- 
fully generated that it requires an outlet of 
this kind. Blind fear will usually make a 
horse run wildly. When he is madly running 
away, it is far more difficult to stop him than 
it would have been to prevent him from start- 
ing in the beginning. A horse running away 
becomes entirely obsessed with the idea of 
running. It is a kind of inertia that carries 
him along and usually ends only with ex- 
haustion. Even though a horse has a good 
mouth, fear and the terrific strain of the 
muscles of his body will make that mouth 
rapidly lose sensitiveness until it becomes 
entirely impervious to even the action of a 
very severe bit. 

An excitable horse will more readily run 
away, since its excitability will quickly turn 
to fear. Also a hard mouth shows a pre- 
disposition to running away, because a horse 
being so equipped will not readily feel the 
restraining influence of the bit, and, perhaps, 
will get his full stride before he can be made 
to feel any attempt at control. 

69 



T H E -:.- H O R S E 

In riding a horse that is predisposed 
toward running away the rider should always 
keep a firm hold o£ the reins in order to be 
able, at any moment, to counteract his first 
forward jump. The safest way to impede a 
horse when he is actually running away is to 
seize one rein with two hands, and with a 
succession of yanks, with short intervals be- 
tween, bring his head around to one side. In 
this position it is physically impossible for 
the horse to run so fast, and the position of 
his head will give him the tendency to circle 
in the direction toward which his head is 
pointed. In this way some sort of control is 
obtained, and any control, no matter how 
slight, is advantageous, because the psychol- 
ogy of the horse is such that, as soon as any 
sense of restraint is recognized, the animal is 
inclined to resume making concessions to the 
will of his rider. 

In the spring of 1912 or thereabouts, the 
Rancho Del Paso, which for a long time had 
belonged to the Haggin Estate, was sold, and 
the remnants of the thoroughbred horses 
there were shipped to the Stockdale Ranch 
at Bakersfield. 

In their veins ran the blood of Salvator 
and of many other famous race horses that 
for long years on the American turf had car- 
ried the Haggin colors to victory. 

The younger horses of tbl?. sl^ipment ran 

70 



THE-:- HORSE 

wild for a number of years at Stockdale, and 
then several of them were broken by the cow- 
boys on the ranch. I undertook the breaking 
of one of these colts, and rode him two or 
three times in a large corral. In order to 
mount the horse it had to be thrown on the 
ground and held. After several of these les- 
sons, I decided it was time to give the animal 
a saunter in one of the lanes leading through 
the ranch, and asked the nearest cowboy to 
herd for me with a riata. The gate of the 
corral was thrown open. The horse, seeing 
freedom ahead, made a wild rush for the lane. 
The cowboy, instead of keeping my horse at 
a few feet distance from his own, by taking 
proper turns on his pommel, threw away his 
slack, tying only the end of his rope to his 
saddle. The horse, dashing through the gate 
at a terrific pace, was thrown to the ground 
with great force as soon as the rope tautened. 
Having the fraction of a moment to contem- 
plate the unfortunate incident that was about 
to occur, I braced myself and was still on the 
back of the horse when he regained his feet. 
The next day I decided to start my ride 
from the middle of the lane. The horse was 
held down with blinds over his eyes by two 
wranglers. Before I quite managed to get 
my seat he reared high in the air, knocking 
down one of the men. The other man let the 
ropes loose and dodged. With the blinds 

71 



THE-:- HORSE 

over his eyes he ran madly away, heading for 
a hay wagon. Without an attempt at direc- 
tion he would probably have hit the wagon 
at an angle and would have broken my leg. 
I knew I could not pull him clear of the 
wagon, but by employing all my strength 
directed him head on, and the collision 
occurred in this position. The horse re- 
bounded over backward. Two planks were 
smashed to splinters on the floor of the 
wagon, and a gash across the horse's chest 
left upon him a mark that never diappeared. 

On my next ride, hoping the animal had 
some sense knocked into him, I managed to 
start out at a moderate gait. In a few mo- 
ments, however, he started bucking, rapidly 
increasing his pace so that the bucks finally 
flattened out into the tearing stride of a run- 
away horse. 

A single tree was directly in the path, and, 
pull as I would, I saw that a collision could 
not be averted. This supple tree, being 
struck, was the cause of the animal's rebound- 
ing several feet in the direction whence he 
came and assuming a position upon his back 
with legs extended upward. During this 
occurrence I rolled off, but remounted the 
animal before he had regained his wind. I 
realized, however, that this was an incor- 
rigible runaway. 

Having a friend, one Ramon Felis, bucka- 

12 



THE-:- HORSE 

roo foreman of San Emidio Ranch, and 
knowing he was in want of a horse, I nat- 
urally had him in mind, and sent the animal 
to him without delay. In order to keep the 
ranch records balanced, it was his privilege 
to return a horse to me for the one I had 
sent, and, it is true, a great deal of disturb- 
ance was caused by the hard-bucking animal 
which I received from Ramon, one of the 
cowboys having a leg broken as the result of 
its advent at Stockdale. 

Except for the courteous expression of 
gratitude for the horse I sent him, I heard 
nothing for many months as to how the 
animal fared in San Emidio's remuda. Long 
afterward I chanced to hear two men dis- 
cussing the loss of a very good saddle. It 
appeared that Ramon had received as a pres- 
ent a fine looking horse, and that he took the 
precaution, which is the usual wont of com- 
petent foremen, to order one of his men to 
bestride the newly arrived animal, before 
mounting it himself. The animal being un- 
able to buck very hard, and ridden in a corral, 
did not have a fair chance to show off his real 
paces, so Ramon, encouraged in this manner, 
subsequently bestrode the animal and led his 
cowboys to a round-up in the hills. 

Before reaching their destination, to the 
marvel of the assembled men, Ramon dis- 
appeared at break-neck speed over an ad- 

73 



THE-:- HORSE 

jacent bluff. The cowboys, accustomed to 
feats o£ horsemanship, thought no more of 
the matter and went about their business. 
The next morning, however, when a certain 
concern for Ramon's health was beginning 
to be felt, his much-bedraggled figure ap- 
peared at the bunk house. It was nearly a 
week before the cowboys succeeded in find- 
ing the horse which had last carried Ramon, 
and several weeks afterward a few remnants 
of the saddle were found where they had 
been left by the coyotes. 



74 



H E -:- H O R S E 



CHAPTER IX. 

Breaking a colt to the saddle — A short method of taming 
and training — How the colt is taught to tolerate handling — 
How he is saddled and cinched the Hrst time — How he is 
ridden. 

A number o£ horses are running wild in a 
pasture, perhaps several of them are from 
two to five years of age. Four years of age 
is the best time at which to break a horse, 
because at that age he is young enough to be 
tractable, while his bone and tendon are so 
adequately developed as not easily to be in- 
jured. These horses may never have felt 
restraint of any kind save that of the fence 
that bounds the pasture, nor have known any 
laws other than those that nature taught 
them. 

Of course, wherever there are horses now- 
adays, man also is near. But the unbroken 
colt's knowledge of the human being is 
limited to an occasional glimpse at one and 
that vague hereditary fear which most wild 
things feel toward man. 

One of these horses in our pasture has the 
appearance of being fast and intelligent, and 
of having excellent action. It is decided to 
make of him a riding horse, to change this 
raw material into the finished product — a 
perfectly broken saddle animal. 

Several men on horseback enter the pasture 

75 



THE-:- HORSE 

where the horses are and drive them some- 
where to a corral. A round corral is best 
when horses are to be handled because in 
such a corral there are no projections that 
might be the means of crippling animals that, 
in the circumstances, would be restive and 
trying to find a way out. 

All the horses, except the good looking 
animal we have spoken of, having been cor- 
ralled, are allowed to pass out through the 
gate. The selected horse, however, is roped, 
or, preferably, is driven into an adjacent 
chute and there haltered. 

In the event of the horse being roped, the 
halter must be put on him at the first pos- 
sible moment. This must be done so as to 
minimize the risk of straining or choking the 
animal by the tightening noose of the rope 
around his neck. 

An upright pole should be planted firmly 
in the ground in the center of the corral, and 
the latter should be about fifty or sixty feet 
in diameter. 

If the horse has been driven into a chute 
adjoining the corral the matter of haltering 
him is simpler. It is done by standing above 
the animal on the near side, the horse- 
breaker holding the halter in his right hand 
by the end of the long headpiece, throwing 
this over the animal's head and catching the 
short strap buckle in the left hand when the 

76 



THE-:- HORSE 

horse's struggles have ceased sufficiently to 
permit of doing so. Then the horse-breaker 
slowly works the opening of the halter up- 
ward and forward towards the animal's nose, 
pulling it over the nose, and snapping the 
buckle behind the near ear. 

A rope at least thirty feet long, preferably 
of hemp, and an inch in diameter, should be 
attached to the halter. The horse-breaker 
opens the gate of the chute, lets the animal 
come back into the corral, and takes his posi- 
tion near the center of the ring. 

If the horse has been roped, the horse- 
breaker should take about a turn and a half 
of the rope around the post in the center of 
the corral, and let the horse tire himself 
fairly well out in his struggles to get free, 
the horse-breaker in the meanwhile being 
careful to give the animal as few short 
"check ups" as possible by keeping the rope 
taut. 

When the horse is sufficiently tired, the 
man, after two or three attempts, if he is 
without a helper, keeping several turns of the 
rope around the post mentioned, goes toward 
the horse along the rope, holding its loose 
end in the left hand, being careful to be on 
that side of the rope which will bring him 
to the near side of the horse, which, if the 
rope is taut, is facing him. He should ad- 

77 



THE-:- HORSE 

vance rather rapidly with the right hand ex- 
tended toward the animal's nose. 

As the man nears the horse he must be 
careful to approach from the side as well as 
the front, because there is always danger of 
the horse striking and plunging forward. 

The moment the horse can be touched on 
the side of the neck, the halter can probably 
be adjusted in more or less the same manner 
described in haltering the horse in the chute. 

The next step after the horse is haltered is 
to take off the lariat rope and take a turn 
and a half around the pole in the center of 
the corral with the loose end of the halter 
rope. 

Flagging is next. For this purpose several 
sacks, or part of a blanket, attached to a pole, 
are useful. The colt, held tied to the pole 
in the middle of the corral, is generally 
facing the man in the center, because the 
rope being attached to the under part of the 
halter, has the tendency to jerk the head of 
the struggling animal towards the hitching 
post, leaving him with outstretched legs 
pulling back on his haunches. The horse- 
breaker, keeping several turns of the rope on 
the hitching pole, again approaches the 
horse from the front, and extending the flag 
projecting on the pole toward the horse's 
head and back, he allows it to pass over the 
animal's ears and neck, and eventually rubs 

78 



THE-:- HORSE 

the horse all over his back. The pole should 
be long enough to allow a safe distance from 
the heels of the animal. 

After a while, the horse, finding he is un- 
able to escape from this rather novel massage, 
reconciles himself to these manipulations, 
and allows the flag to be passed all over his 
body without protesting. Slap the horse on 
the neck and back with the flag after it has 
been removed from the pole, and also rub it 
on his neck and withers. This will gradually 
accustom the animal to being touched all 
over. 

Next he should put the noose of the lariat 
rope around the body of the horse at withers 
and girth. This is easily done by placing the 
loop over the horse's back and letting him 
back his hind legs through it, or letting him 
pass through the loop in front; then, stand- 
ing out of reach of the horse's heels, the 
breaker should pull the noose tight, which 
will usually cause a number of rapid gyra- 
tions from the surprised animal. The pur- 
pose of this last exercise is to accustom the 
horse to the tightening of the cinch when 
the saddle is to be placed on his back. 

When only the loop of the lariat is tight- 
ened around the body of the horse, in the 
way we have described, he can fall forward 
or backward and kick out in all directions 
without doing much harm. After the animal 

79 



THE-:- HORSE 

has become accustomed to being cinched in 
this manner, the blanket may be brought, and 
this the horse-breaker uses as he has pre- 
viously done the flag until he feels the ani- 
mal is calm enough to allow the blanket to 
be placed on his back. 

The bridle is then brought, preferably a 
strong head stall with a snaffle bit. and long, 
thick reins having the ends buckled. These 
reins should be slipped over the horse's head 
first and then the head stall placed on the 
head of the horse in very much the same 
manner as described for placing the halter, 
only that by putting the left hand in the 
corner of the near side of the horse's mouth, 
the jaws of the horse are forced open, and in 
this way the bit is directed into the mouth, 
while the remainder of the bridle is slipped 
over the head. 

The reins should now be pulled tight on 
the right side, brought over the horse's head 
behind his ears, carried down the left side 
of his face, and then under the jaw and 
looped over the right rein as it starts from 
the bit. The left rein is also pulled tight 
and has been made part of this loop. A knot 
is then tied of a sufficient size to prevent the 
ends of the reins from protruding too far 
and in any way becoming tangled with the 
horse. 

The saddle is then brought (Mexican), 

80 



THE-:- HORSE 

which is held by the pommel in the right 
hand with its right side toward the near side 
of the horse. The right stirrup is fastened 
over the saddle horn and the cinching para- 
phernalia is brought from the right side over 
the back of the saddle and allowed to hang 
on its left side. 

The saddle is then moved forward toward 
the horse, until it touches him at a point in 
the neighborhood of the shoulder, and is 
moved rapidly away again before the horse 
has time to resent its approach. As the horse 
becomes used to the saddle touching him on 
the shoulder, the horse-breaker contrives to 
slip it onto his back at a point above the 
withers and takes hold of the left girth strap 
with the right hand. The saddle is allowed 
to overbalance a little on the right side, so 
that if the horse takes a sudden jump or 
kicks, the equilibrium of the saddle may be 
maintained by keeping a certain pull on the 
left cinch strap. When it is evident that the 
horse will stand still, allowing the saddle to 
sit in this way upon his back, the cinch ring 
can be slipped over the saddle horn, which 
permits the cinch rigging to fall on the off 
side. 

The problem is now to bring the cinch 
from the right side up under the girth of the 
horse and buckle it on the near side. It is 
usually risky to try and reach this cinch 

81 



THE-:- HORSE 

under the stomach o£ the horse with the 
hand. The best way is to hold the end o£ 
the near side cinch strap in the right hand, 
letting the rest of it hang in a loop toward 
the ground. Swing this loop slowly back- 
ward and forward under the stomach of the 
horse until the cinch strap catches the cinch 
ring in its loop. The horse-breaker should 
now pull this cinch, which is caught in the 
loop, under the girth of the horse, slowly 
toward him, and catch the cinch ring in his 
right hand, directing the ring to its buckle, 
then draw the cifich tight enough to make 
the saddle firm on the back of the horse, and 
release the right stirrup from the saddle 
horn. Unwinding the rope from the pole in 
the middle of the corral, the horse-breaker 
holds it firmly with his hand, and lets the 
horse have a little slack, at the same time 
urging the animal to move. The horse will 
probably make a few kicks or bucks as he 
starts forward around the edge of the corral, 
meanwhile the horse-breaker should pull the 
animal's head toward him, quieting the 
horse as soon as possible, and, holding the 
rope taut, should approach the animal's neck, 
always taking care to be on the near side. 

Now, untying the reins from under the 
animal's jaw, he should bring the right rein 
over the horse's head down toward the left 
side of the bit, and seize this rein at that 

82 



THE-:- HORSE 

point with his left hand. Holding, also in 
his left hand, the left rein at its starting 
point from the bit, and the left cheek piece 
of the head stall as it starts from the bit, he 
should take the left stirrup in his right hand. 
Taking care not to let more than the tip of 
his boot pass through, he should place his 
left foot in the stirrup, and raise his weight 
on to the stirrup, keeping his left arm taut, 
which is holding the horse at a point near 
the bit. 

If the horse tries to whirl away from the 
rider in this position, the grip of the left 
hand on the cheek piece may be brought to 
bear with such force that it will keep the 
horse's head toward the man, who at this 
time is balanced standing on the left stirrup. 
If, on the other hand, the horse turns to the 
near side to grip the man's arm or leg with 
his teeth, the knuckles of the left hand are 
shoved under the cheek piece into the jaw 
of the horse, which in this way can be kept 
at a safe distance. 

If the horse now rears, tries to fall over 
backward, bucks, or looks like turning a 
forward somersault, the rider should leap off 
his left foot several feet back from the near 
side of the horse into safety, and when the 
horse has subsided he must try the same 
manuevers again. Then, if the horse stands 
sufficiently quiet, the rider may slowly raise 

83 



THE-:- HORSE 

his right leg over the cantle of the saddle 
and find the stirrup on the right side. Now 
he may release the cheek piece with his left 
hand, continuing, however, to hold the reins, 
and bringing that hand up toward the cantle 
let the left rein slip through it until it is in 
its proper place in front of the cantle. The 
right rein, which will be left with too much 
slack, can be taken with the right hand and 
pulled even with the left rein. If there are 
any fireworks left in the horse, this is the 
time for the demonstration. 

The one object now is for the rider to 
keep the horse under him until he is ready, 
of his own accord, to dismount. For twenty 
minutes or half an hour, the horse may be 
urged slowly around the corral, and in order 
to get some sort of direction, the rein on the 
side on which it is desired to progress should 
be pulled, and the other rein allowed loose. 
To accustom the horse to all that in after 
days may be required of him, the rider at 
this time should slap the horse on its back, 
carry the two stirrups with his legs up 
toward the cantle of the saddle and throw 
his weight from side to side. 

A few rides of this sort and the carrying 
out of the principles noted will soon gentle 
any horse. His further training is discussed 
with the subject "Reining a horse," in Chap- 
ter IV. 

84 



THE-:- HORSE 

The horse, handled in this manner, becomes 
halter broken of his own accord, since in a 
round corral the man, by suddenly taking up 
the slack on a rope attached to the halter, 
will accustom the animal to have his head 
pulled one way or the other, and the moment 
the horse's head answers to the pull of the 
halter, the rope should be left slack as his 
reward for obedience. 



?5 



H E -:- H O R S E 



CHAPTER X. 

Buying a Saddle Horse— Age shown by the teeth — How to 
detect poor vision and other defects — Splints, ringbone, 
spavin— Sore backs, what they indicate — Shoulder lameness 
and navicular disease — Laminitis or founder — Testing a horse 
for wind — How to recognize a wind-sucker or crib-biter. 

Examination. — Beginning at the horse's 
head it is well to look in the animal's mouth 
to obtain a general idea of his age. An ap- 
proximation in this respect can be made from 
the condition of his teeth. The ordinary horse 
has two sets of incisor teeth, each set contain- 
ing three sets of two teeth. The two middle 
front teeth, of the respective jaws, are called 
the middle incisors. The two teeth which are 
on either side of these are the intermediate 
incisors. The two teeth which in turn are on 
either side of the two intermediate teeth are 
called the corner incisors. 

Age Index. — The animal that is two years 
of age has a full set of colt incisor teeth. They 
are of the same number and general appear- 
ance as horse teeth, only they are smaller, 
whiter and shorter. At three years of age, 
the two middle incisors are horse teeth, while 
the intermediate and corner ones are still colt 
teeth. At four, the middle and intermediate 
incisors are horse teeth, while only the corner 
ones are colt teeth. At five, the horse has a 
full mouth of horse teeth. Each of these has 

86 



THE-:- HORSE 

at the exposed ends an indenture known as 
a cup. At six, these cups disappear from the 
middle incisors, the use of the teeth wearing 
the ends smooth. The intermediate and corner 
incisors still possess the cups at this age. At 
seven, the cups disappear from the intermedi- 
ate as well as the middle incisor teeth, and at 
eight the cups have also disappeared from the 
corner ones, so that the animal has what is 
known as a smooth mouth. 

From this time on as the horse gets older, 
his teeth look longer, but in reality this is not 
entirely the case since wear and growth con- 
tinue to counteract each other as in colthood, 
but the fact that with age the gums recede 
also tends to make the teeth of an old horse 
look longer. The older a horse gets the more 
the width of his teeth from outside to inside 
diminishes. In a young horse, when his jaws 
are closed, the incisor teeth of the upper jaw 
and lower jaw are inclined to be in the same 
perpendicular plane. When the horse gets 
old, however, these teeth tend to make an 
acute angle with each other; the apex of the 
angle being where the upper and lower teeth 
join each other. The older the horse is, the 
more acute the angle. Very old horses gen- 
erally have yellow teeth, triangular shaped, 
while the teeth of a young horse are more 
oval in appearance. 



87 



THE-:- HORSE 

Defects. — The horse's eyes should be clear. 
If it is thought the animal has defective sight, 
moving the hand toward the eye quickly and 
taking it away again without touching the 
horse's head will aid in determining this fact. 

A quick glance at the horse's neck will tell 
whether it is free from defect such as fistula; 
fistula being a kind of localized open sore with 
a very deep root. On observing the animal's 
forelegs medium large and straight bones are 
desirable; however, that part from the ankle 
to the hoof, which is the pastern, should be 
sloping enough to minimize any danger of 
knuckling over. 

Ordinary splints do no real harm, only at 
incipiency they usually make the animal lame. 
Splints practically never come on a horse's 
hind legs. 

Side-bones and ring-bones which come upon 
the coronet, that fore part of the horse's foot 
immediately above the hoof, always end in 
causing lameness, and are practically incurable. 
Their presence can be detected by bony en- 
largements at the side and above the horse's 
hoof in the case of a side-bone, and at the side 
above and in front of the horse's hoof in the 
case of a ring-bone. 

Bone spavin is the usual cause of lameness 
on a horse's hind legs. This is a bony enlarge- 
ment immediately below and on the inside of 
the horse's hock, and can be seen best by 

88 



THE-:- HORSE 

standing in front of the horse and looking 
between its front legs. This is an unsound- 
ness that can rarely be cured. The hoofs of 
the hind legs are less subject to ring-bones 
and side-bones than those of the forelegs. 

Sore backs constitute an undesirable factor 
in a horse to be used for saddle purposes, 
especially if the horse is sore above the withers 
or over the kidneys. An old kidney sore can 
rarely be cured, and always makes the horse 
weak in that part of his back. Girth sores are 
not of a very serious character. 

Most horses that are fat when taken out of 
pasture and ridden will acquire girth sores by 
the slipping forward of the saddle, but the 
horse when conditioned properly and hardened 
will readily overcome this soreness, if care is 
taken in cinching and keeping the saddle in 
its proper place directly behind the withers 
on the horse's back. 

Shoulder lameness and navicular disease are 
the bugbears of most horsemen. They are 
difficult to diagnose. If a horse is lame and 
no physical malformation manifests itself, the 
suspected leg can be raised and moved back 
and forth, and if the horse flinches it is prob- 
ably shoulder lameness. Shoulder lameness 
usually lasts a long time, but generally dis- 
appears with rest. If a horse is lame on both 
forelegs at the same time he is said to be 
"sore in front." Navicular disease, on the 

89 



THE-:- HORSE 

other hand, is a trauma of the navicular bone, 
which is an ossicle, or small bone, in the center 
of the foot. A horse afflicted with this disease 
usually points his toe when standing at rest. 
A horse having navicular, will go quite lame 
when cold, but if the disease is only in its 
incipiency, he will often warm out of the lame- 
ness with exercise. Navicular is absolutely 
incurable. 

Laminitis (founder) is a very common ail- 
ment of the horse. It is a kind of membrane 
congestion, often due to overwork after over- 
feeding, or to excessive drinking when the 
animal is hot. Soreness in front and rings on 
the hoofs are an indication of this disease. It 
always constitutes an unsoundness. 

Before purchasing a horse, he should be 
made to exercise so that his wind can be 
examined ; a horse with defective wind being, 
in almost all cases, very unsatisfactory for any 
kind of work. If a horse, after violent exer- 
cise, breathes hard, with an audible sound 
from the lungs, it has defective wind. Also 
a horse whose sides heave, relaxing and con- 
tracting to an unusual degree after a certain 
amount of exercise, has probably defective 
wind. 

I use defective to denote an impairment of 
the horse for that work which may be required 
of him. On the other hand, if the animal, 
when exercised, merely gives a snorting sound 

90 



THE-:- HORSE 

from his nostrils, or a certain sound from his 
larynx, which is not due to paralytic roaring, 
and shows none of the other symptoms that 
have been mentioned, he has probably nothing 
more than a localized peculiarity which does 
him no real harm in regard to work. 

Wind-sucking, or crib-biting, as it is some- 
times called, is more a habit of the horse than 
a defect of respiration. It is a very undesir- 
able habit, since the horse by indulging it 
inflates his inside, and thus renders himself 
less capable of performing the duties that may 
be required of him. The habit is sometimes 
contagious by imitation. When a horse cribs, 
he usually catches on to some wooden projec- 
tion with his teeth and takes in air with 
a sucking sound. If the horse's teeth are 
peculiarly worn down in front, or the part 
of the stall where he has been standing shows 
tooth wear, it is reasonable to suppose that 
he is a wind-sucker. 



91 



H E -:- H O R S E 



CHAPTER XI. 

Teaching children to ride — Cannot begin too young — An 
old plug better than a pony — Experience the best riding mas- 
ter — Psychology of the horse — He has not the power of deduc- 
tion — Trick horses — How they are made to appear to have 
reasoning faculties — They only obey commands. 

Teaching Children to Ride. — I started to 
ride at four years old and I believe this age 
not too young to commence riding with a lead 
rope. For a child I consider an old, thoroughly 
gentle horse better than any kind of pony, 
because his movements are apt to be slower, 
and he usually has more sense. A common 
mistake made in regard to letting small chil- 
dren ride, is the thought that merely because 
a pony happens to be very tiny he can do no 
serious harm to the child, and what in a big 
horse would be considered viciousness in a 
little pony is looked upon as a kind of cute 
playfulness. It is a fact that young children 
are injured far more frequently by little ponies 
than by horses. 

I think the ideal way for a child to begin 
riding is to place him upon an old plug bare- 
back. Lead the animal around slowly until 
the child gets used to the motion and feel of 
the back. He will get a natural seat far more 
quickly bare-back than if at first he is per- 
mitted to ride in a saddle. After the child 
becomes thoroughly familiar with the feel of 
the horse as he is led around slowly, a saddle 

92 



THE-:- HORSE 

may be used, and the child allowed to ride 
holding the reins and guiding it himself. Of 
course, this is presupposing that the horse in 
question is such a plug that nothing can in- 
duce it to run off and that its natural tendency 
will be to stand still unless forcibly urged. 

Variety of experience will make the child 
into a good rider more rapidly than books or 
constant instruction can possibly do. When 
the child becomes fairly used to riding, a good 
exercise is the use of the saddle without stir- 
rups. 

In order to make rapid progress in riding 
a child should always be made to overdo a 
little. For example, he should be urged to 
ride a little faster without holding on to the 
saddle than he feels he is able to do. He 
should be encouraged to relax on the back of 
a horse, and see how far he can overbalance 
to the sides without falling off. He should be 
made to ride the horse at a good trot, which 
at first will be very uncomfortable. The next 
day he should be urged to ride this way for a 
little longer time, and by degrees he will gain 
confidence and be aware of improvement, 
which is an important factor in the mind of 
a child that is learning to ride. 

Psychology. — It is said of the horse that, 
considering his size, he has the smallest brain 
of all the animals. It is probably as well that 
an animal used as a beast of burden should not 

93 



THE-:- HORSE 

be too intelligent, because if he were, it would 
be difficult to make him obey the whim of his 
rider. The horse has desires. If his desires 
conflict with the wants of man he is useless 
for the purposes of man. How to make his 
desires coincide with those of his rider is the 
real problem in the training of a horse. 

Animals, according to some authorities, 
have the power of reasoning. I think, how- 
ever, and believe it is the consensus of opinion, 
that, in the specific sense of the term, they 
have no such power. 

In the animal, keenness of sense takes the 
place of strength of intellect. The horse's 
mind is susceptible of a process, which in a 
very broad sense might be called reasoning. 
It is, in fact, an induction by analogy. His 
mental force is guided by a kind of channel 
pertaining to idea association, and in this 
attribute his mind and that of a human being 
coincide. 

A horse often has a marvelous memory and 
extraordinary power of observation. He has 
perception without apperception, perception 
being a state which has no power of thought 
review, and consequently cannot create a new 
psychological force. What follows is an 
example of how the horse thinks. A horse 
has been taken for a very long ride. Perhaps 
he has been quiet and displayed little enthusi- 
asm to increase his pace or to change his 

94 



THE-:- HORSE 

direction. He now is turned into a iane not 
far from and leading to his stable. At that 
moment he shows that he wishes to accelerate 
his pace and, with ears cocked forward, and 
prancing, gives evidence of a strong desire to 
move ahead. 

We here have the indications of a thought 
on the part of the animal. What is the cause 
of this thought? Analysis brings us to the 
following conclusion: Through idea associa- 
tion, made aware of the presence of the stable, 
which is again associated with food, rest, free- 
dom from equipment and so forth, the horse 
is stimulated and encouraged to go ahead, 
because now to his mind there is a definite 
and desirable object in view. 

In like manner, a very thirsty horse hurries 
to water. He has not the power to draw the 
conclusion from the premises — first, that he 
wants water; secondly, that hurrying in the 
right direction brings one to what is wanted 
more quickly — that hurrying in this way will 
bring him more quickly to water. The fore- 
going case is clearly deductive reasoning, em- 
bodying the higher intellectual force of which 
the human mind alone is capable. It is true 
that the horse arrives at the same result that 
deductive reasoning would bring, but he does 
it in this way. He is instinctively drawn to 
water by physical want. He remembers that 
hurrying to water has actually brought him 

95 



THE-:- HORSE 

water sooner than on the occasions when his 
thirst was not so great and he moved slowly 
in the direction of the trough. He has the 
psycho-physiological desire for water, and he 
arrives at a kind of analogical induction, re- 
membering all the times he has hurried in 
order that he could drink and was able to 
satisfy his thirst, that hurrying to drink means 
immediate drinking. This, then, is the real 
reason for his hurrying forward, and is based 
upon comparison and analogy. 

Horses shown at circuses, supposed to be 
able to do mathematical problems and dis- 
tinguish colors pertaining to persons in the 
audience, are animals that have extraordi- 
narily keen perception. But the counting or 
distinguishing a color, or any other remark- 
able feat a horse is supposed to perform by 
virtue of his reasoning faculties, is accom- 
plished entirely by trick methods, and a super- 
finely cultivated sense. The horse will paw 
a certain number of times, or pick up a color, 
because his trainer has made some almost im- 
perceptible movement with whip, hand or 
body, and not because he has in any way 
understood from the man's discourse what he 
is wanted to do. 

Trick animals of this sort are usually in- 
structed according to system, and the animal 
is made to do a number of things always in 
the same order. He finally forms a habit and^ 

9^ 



THE-:- HORSE 

like a gramophone needle will, when started 
off, continue in the same groove. His trainer 
then will often take occasion to talk at the 
proper intervals between the horse's perform- 
ances, purporting to instruct the horse what 
to do, but in reality merely anticipating his 
movements by words. 

Of course, the horse has an eye for color 
and an ear for sound, and he can be made to 
obey commands. For instance, a command 
is given. The horse disobeys and punishment 
ensues. In time he finds that if such a com- 
mand is given and he acts a certain way 
punishment will not follow, then associating 
these two things in his mind, the command 
having been given, he will act in that certain 
way so that punishment will not ensue. 

To distinguish colors, the problem is to 
make the horse by some physical manifesta- 
tion indicate his understanding of the differ- 
ence of color. Since this cannot be done, the 
next best thing, which is in fact what most 
trainers do, is to make the horse give the 
appearance of indicating color by an appeal 
(usually imperceptible to the audience) to his 
sensorium in contradistinction to his mind. 

Instinct in itself is a large subject. It is 
an important factor in the mind of an animal, 
while intuition which involves cognizance of 
a previously registered conclusion belongs to 
man alone. 

THE END 
97 



Press of 

The Recorder Printing and Publishing Co. 

San Francisco 









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